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The world wide use of robots and the application of robotics science is not a new phenomenon. Over two centuries ago, more than 70% of Americans worked at farms. With the rapid change in technology during the period of the Industrial Revolution, a new era began; The Age of Robots. A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial being that is controlled by a computer program or electronic circuitry. The technology that deals with the construction, application and operation of robots and their operating computer system is called Robotics. With the advancement in the science of robotics, we have led to the subsequent invention of Artificial Intelligence, i.e. the cognitive abilities to enable the robots to think, understand, observe, make decisions and adapt to their environment the same way as human beings. The most intriguing analysis that arises is that robotics have been a crucial factor on the development of human being because, they are professional in the meticulousness jobs and they help human beings to achieve more, and have a high IQ.
Robotics is professional in the meticulousness jobs. According to Kevin Kelly, is a Senior Maverick at Wired magazine. He co-founded Wired in 1993, in his article “why robots must take over our jobs” Kelly discusses the impact robotics have on our lifestyle. He states that, “Today, robots and automation reduced 1% of our jobs. It is expected that, by the end of this century, robotics will have replaced 70% of human jobs”. With faster speed, better learning capabilities and decision-making abilities and designed for the performance of routine transactions and mechanical work, the machines will make their way from operating in a fully-automated industry to taking on white collar jobs. Therefore, any job requiring tons of paperwork will be taken over by robots, including medicine. Even areas such as surgery are becoming increasingly robotic. Any information-intensive job can be automated. It does not matter what your profession is; the robots will take over! Economist Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard University wrote that, "Since the dawn of industrialization, a recurrent fear has emerged that it will spawn mass technological unemployment." However, this is counter-argued by Jeffrey Sachs and Lauren Kotlikoff who argue that, “What if machines got so smart, that they do not need manual labor to operate?” This would increase productivity, efficiency and create more jobs in millions of other fields. Two points are worth mentioning here, in this regard. Automation, while replacing several jobs, has created millions of new jobs such as appliance repairmen, photographers, engineers, web designers, etc. By the year 2050, it is estimated that the highest-paid jobs for human beings will be created by the robots of those times, as machines create jobs that we did not even know we wanted done. Robots are only doing those jobs that we are unable to do. We do not have the concentration span to inspect every millimeter of every CAT scan for cancer cells. We humans do not have the required power to melt silicone and mold it in a glass shaped bottle. Our memories are not sharp enough for keeping track of every pitch in a game of Baseball and calculate the probability of the next pitch in real time. Consequently, we are only giving those jobs to robots that, are impossible for us to do.
Nicolas Albery of the Institute of Social Inventions writes that, ``It is likely that, in the next millennium, computers and robots will have a capacity and complexity greater than that of the human brain. With the potential to act malevolently towards us, we humans should, force scientific associations to monitor and control the development of artificial intelligence systems.''
Albery is of the view that robotics would dominate us and that we will not stand a chance against them. However, while robotics may replace human beings, it does not mean that humans will be totally helpless. Technology should be embraced, rather than feared, hated and rejected. It will only develop to help human beings, rather than replacing them. It is argued by Akins Crystal, the writer of "5 Jobs Being Replaced by Robot," that,
“Mastering the art of communication, taking classes on technical skills at a local college at affordable rates, understanding programs like Microsoft Excel and Dreamweaver are some of the simple ways to overcome this fear. These skills will also always remaining ahead of machines, in terms of creativity and dominance.”
The takeover of jobs by robots will improve not only the standard and efficiency of work performed, but will also leave human beings with futile time to indulge in their preferred activities of leisure, such as sports, watching television and working out at the gym. It will also reduce job-related stress levels in human beings.
Robotics is highly IQ. Developments in robotics are bringing more and more robotics into the service industries across the globe. Self-directed vehicles are now being used by every major automaker; threatening the job of truck drivers and cab drivers. Rethink Robotics has designed a robot named Baxter that works alongside human factory supervisors, learning new tasks on the go and can replace human supervisor any given day. Intuitive surgical has designed robotic surgeons while the open source Raven project uses robots, as well. However, human surgeons are still required to assist in the process. Due to rapid cognition, these robots are capable of learning and executing surgeries independently. Unmanned aerial vehicles, such as drones, are being used by the US national airspace, replacing the jobs of many human pilots and providing more jobs for technicians and manning personnel. Even the profession of journalism and academic writing is susceptible to robotic outsourcing by TheQuill robotic journalist, which inputs from raw data, and presents fully formed sports and business stories. This further deepens our worries on whether robotics should be used to perform human tasks. What will we do, if replaced? As psychologists ponder over “the impact of unemployment on the human mind; including depression and anxiety”, a more subtle approach is presented elsewhere. In his article titled, Word 2001, Arthur C. Clarke had imagined the replacement of manual labor with automated machinery. He wrote that, “Instead of worrying about the jobs to be replaced by the machines, we should look towards lofty pursuits. In the future, there will be no place for the average college graduate. If it seems impossible to bring the entire world population up to super-university levels, remember that a few centuries back, it was equally unimaginable that everybody would someday be literate enough to read. Now, we can set our goals and standards a lot higher than a few centuries ago.” Nothing is impossible now so we can aim for the highest.
We should, as a society, value our personal thoughts and creativity and everything that puts us ahead of all robots. Development the society that not only releases people from the labor through the use of robotics, but allows them to achieve their complete potential and not just go begging for a job is best and only method of moving forward in this age of technology. Belfiore and Michael, the authors of “How DARPA Is Remaking Our World, From the Internet to Artificial Limbs” question that, “How many ways can a cook contribute to society other than flipping burgers? What can a sportswriter do beyond coming up with endless variations on "beat," topped", "outshot" and "defeated"? It's about time to find out.”
Works Cited
Akins, Crystal. "5 Jobs Being Replaced by Robots." n.d. Excelle.
Belfiore, Michael. "When robots take our jobs, humans will be the new 1%. Here's how to fight back." The Guardian 22 March 2014: 1. Article.
Kelly, Kevin. "Better Than Human: Why Robots Will — And Must — Take Our Jobs." 24 December 2012. Wired.com. Report.
Wired. Robots Are Already Replacing Us. 24 December 2012.
