Technology has already advanced to the point of robots doing some of the jobs that people use to do. However, I do not think that jobs for humans will ever disappear. Robots are programmed to do the things that are more complex and dangerous. That’s a saving grace for Humans. This in part will allow humans to use their brains in a more deep thought manner.
I think that robots can be helpful in doing certain tasks. I do agree with others that they won’t completely replace humans in the work force because you’ll still need humans to program them, troubleshoot when they malfunction, and assist with the product or job the robots are working with.
I think they can create jobs, just different jobs. Being able to think, problem solve and program are more of the skills needed in today’s workforce.
We used to worry about robots “taking over” and running people out of their jobs. However, looking at the efficiency and accuracy and time that it takes for robots to run an assembly line for example versus people running the assembly line makes more sense. As for running people out of their jobs, I don’t think that is happening - I just think the robots are allowing for different jobs to be created.
As long as we start doing the mundane for “exercise” or “novelty”, then yes robots can and will fill a needed place in our society. However, we must not go down the slippery slope of being totally dependant or we will become helpless if that technology is ever unavailable.
Marijo,
Completely agree! I constantly tell my students that we are teaching you to be creators and not just users of the technology. Having that power (to create, control, program) will be very important in the future. Also understanding the concepts will help if the technology is removed, they can hopefully recreate!
Brad
I fear that we have already lost sight of the positive potential for robots in our society in one very important way. The use of robots for war fighting has changed the cost calculation of war. Instead of being a last resort because of the human cost for the attacker as well as the attacked, the more technologically advanced foe can make a case for attacking another under far less serious circumstances, because it won’t be his people who are doing the dying. War becomes more acceptable to the population because there is no long stream of caskets bearing the dead soldiers coming home.
I think that robots are a major component in our society today and I do believe that they can definitely help eliminate mundane chores so that we can allow humans to concentrate on more complex issues.
Robots have a huge potential to impact our economy and way of life. They can perform tasks that are dangerous for humans and can perform such a complex task in such a quick amount of time and with precision.
I think robots in the workforce are a great thing and the way of the future. Robots/computers can be more accurate that humans and take a lot of the error or guesswork out of the equation. We should find ways to train people and our students to succeed in a high tech workforce. This will allow them to be more productive and allow for greater growth.
Robots are already filtrating the workforce rapidly and taking over not only mundane jobs, but also jobs performed by highly educated humans. Amazon is using drones to deliver packages to customers. The U.S. military uses weaponized autonomous robots to carry out lethal decisions. In the medical industry, robots will soon replace medical doctors who administer anesthesia, or those who perform routine checkups for patients.
My concern is what will happen to our economy with so many jobs taken over by robots?
I don’t think robots are scary at all. They are another tool and how we use a tool is always dependent on the values and morals of the user. Not the tool.
I think robots are wonderful. I can see where they can and will provide an enormous amount of resources for young and old and make living easier and more convenient. Although the job market may be affected, people will need to know how to program the robots to do tasks.
Machines in general have always displaced human workers (This is especially evident in agriculture where farm equipment has replaced many laborers and saved countless hours), and yet unemployment, while it varies from year to year, is probably not changed much from 100 years ago. As new technologies take over mundane tasks, new areas of employment are developed, either developing and/or maintaining new technologies, or providing entertainment/services for those who would work fewer hours.
The really challenge will be when machines/robots become so advanced that they are able to design/develop even newer challenges. I think Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and others are right to be concerned about controlling the development of AI.
Hello,
Of course I think it is great to use robots to make our life easier. I want a robot that can clean my house to free me up to do other things
Robots have been a great invention. Although some human job positions have been replaced by robots I feel that it is a good thing. The world is changing and humans need to change with it. The humans that will be coming up in the work force have different skills so they will be filling new types of jobs that were nonexistent before.
I think it’s a great idea to have robots perform routine or mundane tasks. It’s a definite time saver and can sometimes result in more accurate work.
Having robots do mundane work is a catch 22 as it will definitely make things more efficient and more concise. However, the flip side is that it will take away jobs from people and in turn hurt our society in the long run.
It’s hard not to get stuck with large corporations filling the question, "How do we increase productivity, efficiency, and while saving money (or sometimes, cutting costs)?
Sure, we can go toward the use of machines and robots, but let’s not rely entirely on them either. The machine is only as good as the inventor, and there’s pros and cons with both, with the idea of using robots.
I see robots as a tool, much like a camera is for a photographer. There will be times when we need to heavily depend on robots where for example, the environment isn’t suitable at all for humans.
But look at the automotive industry, where mass production requires robots to put together certain stages of the vehicle, but still require human labor to come in and complete certain tasks.
I enjoy having robots make some parts of my job easier, but not 100 percent of it…then I become too dependent on it. I also don’t want to rely so much on it where I become mentally and physically not capable of doing things myself, i.e. self parking car.
In short, there are areas of industry where it becomes automated, hell, we do things everyday, that in itself is a routine, but I also don’t want to lose a job to a robot neither.
Automation and robotics has always been the face of progress, change, and modernization. There are so many tasks that are now automated that we would cringe at having to do by hand in the name of efficiency. Robotics becomes “scary” to the general public when people fear losing their jobs when what they do can be automated with a robot. We need better education of the general public on the potential jobs that can be created when the mundane is automated.