The arrival of robots into our everyday lives could be sooner than expected, and their existence could well be for the next million years. People have dreamed of having robot assistants for instance, but have we really thought about their overall impact?
Written by Winnie Liu
We are better off preparing for it all now, before it is too late. We will have to explore the social, economic, and ethical ramifications of technological change happening so fast, as you cannot simply put a stop to technological innovation.
A research study by Mckinsey found that more than 45% of current jobs can be automated. Experts try to contain worry because technology has a pattern of creating new jobs, whilst destroying old ones, so in effect, displacing but not replacing workers. Financial and sports journalists are among professional jobs being replaced by robots, computers and AI.
Likewise, Amazon GO, which opened in Seattle in the past two years, is a brilliant example of what the tech giant calls ‘just walk out shopping’. There are no cashiers or checkouts, and this is the dawn of a new wave in food retailing.
In another instance, driverless cars are possible because they can sense each other and hold intelligent conversations. They can do things which were once exclusive to humans. This next wave of automation will surely make the manufacturers richer and those who get displaced angrier and perhaps poorer. Yet if we look to the past experiences of industrial revolution, trying to fight this change would be futile. Given the tangible benefits in mobility for elderly and in healthcare, it may be a clever response.
Elon Musk is amongst many famous leaders who have signed onto Open-AI, a research company intended to benefit humanity by developing friendly AI. Still, this may remain insufficient. Machine life has already developed so rapidly that alien existence could even take place just as quickly. When thinking about space technology and travel it could be that it’s well beyond our means to peer into outer galaxies unless immortal robots make the distances.
One of the most viable solutions to combatting the existence of robots taking over the world, is a robot levy tax. It is imagined that humans would pay the price if robots took other humans’ jobs, and thus naturally slow down the pace of automation by increasing the price of the machines.
The issue is not whether robots are coming or not, because they are. In addition, it is not a question whether they boost growth, because they will. It is estimated that by 2030, the UK economy alone would be 10% bigger as a result of artificial intelligence. A Scandinavian style solution to such challenges of the machine age would overcome issues of distribution, not production. New models of ownership are needed to ensure the benefits of automation are widely shared.
The Centre for Cities suggests that the most obvious casualty to working class jobs is at call centres and warehouses. However, there are also going to be downfalls on middle class jobs such as lawyers and radiologists which can be replaced by robots. Just as robots have already replaced truck drivers and bank cashiers, it would be smart to invest in education and skills.
But do not fear, here are 4 reasons why robots are not about to take over the world
- Unable to be robust enough and lack dexterity of human hands
- No technical match for tactile sensors that the human skin and brain incorporates
- Human and robot interaction is well built on object and speech recognition systems
- Human reason suggests that not all possible will be built because of potential harm to society
So overall, robots are already a reality in several industries today, and they will soon appear more frequently in public spaces in more complex forms. However, they will, for the time being, not be human-like even if they might look like humans. So, you can stand back from any fear that robots are taking over the world, as they remain merely sophisticated machines.
Featured Image: © Alex Knight
