infoTECH Feature

July 15, 2015

Will Robots Steal My Job?

It’s a favorite topic among tech enthusiasts and cost-conscious business owners: Will robots ever totally replace human labor? Some seem to think it’s possible in certain industries, but others believe there’s no possible way.

There’s always a group that lands somewhere in the middle. But what do the expert researchers predict? Do humans have reason to fear for the future of their careers?

The fascination with robots

Every year, someone inevitably poses the question: “Could this be the year robots make human labor irrelevant in the XYZ industry?” Although it’s a serious question, it’s also fun to think about—not the fact that people could lose their jobs, but that robots are mysterious and intriguing. Just review a list of top films from the past few decades and you’ll see how popular robots are. Movies like The Terminator, Transformers, Wall-E, I, Robot, Blade Runner, and RoboCop have captivated audiences and gathered billions at the box office.

Research, data, and opinions are far from conclusive

But are robots—as productive members of the workforce—to be taken seriously? Does the technology exist to make them a reality?

It kind of depends on who you ask. Here’s a sampling of recent research studies and expert opinions from the past few years.

  • Research suggests UK jobs in danger. According to one 2014 research study, a whopping 10 million British jobs could be taken over by automated technology in the next 20 years. In other words, one in three jobs is at risk. As you may expect, the study says people who earn lower salaries are five times more likely to lose their job to a robot than those paid six figures. “Unless these changes coming in the next two decades are fully understood and anticipated by businesses, policy makers and educators, there will be a risk of avoidable unemployment and under-employment,” says Angus Knowles-Cutler, one of the authors of the study.
  • Fear of robots rises in desperate times. While there’s no denying that automation has changed our world and will do so in the future, some aren’t so quick to assume that robots will steal jobs. In fact, technology writer Matt Novak believes the fear of robots stealing our jobs tends to spread when economic times are tough. He cites The Omni Future Almanac, a 1982 book that outlined which jobs would be obsolete by the 21st century. A couple of the predictions were accurate, but the majority still require human labor, including salespeople, bank clerks, dry cleaners, real estate brokers, and grocery cashiers. Granted, some of these jobs have changed with automation … but they still exist. That’s why Novak argues the meaning of a “robotic takeover” is up for debate.
  • Human labor will always be necessary. “Conventional economic theory suggests that for every job displaced by technology, new jobs and new sectors are created,” writes Federico Pistono, CEO of Esplori. His argument is that while robots and advances in automated technology may reduce the need for human labor in certain procedures, human labor will inevitably shift to another industry or occupation. Pistono’s discussion continues in a completely different direction, but it’s a good point. Employment is cyclical and new jobs are always being created: jobs that automated technology or robots cannot immediately fill.

The challenge of replacing humans

“There’s something about humans that technologists always forget,” says Eric Schmidt, Google (News - Alert) chairman. “Humans are creative and unpredictable.” Though advances in technology are turning robots from science fiction fantasy into reality, it will be a long time before they’re able to mimic the innovation of the human mind.

So should you fear a robot takeover? It all depends on who you listen to, what industry you work in, and how long you plan on working before retirement. Robots are coming, but you shouldn’t undervalue the human workforce.




Edited by Dominick Sorrentino
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