Are Robots Taking
Over the World?
By: Jeremy Bishop
More and more jobs are being taken over by robots. The next
thing we know, we are going to go to buy a coffee and it will be served by a
robot. This is not going to be any good for the US economy because the more
jobs that robots take over, the more unemployed people we will have. According
to an article on NBCNEWS.com entitled, “Nine jobs that humans may lose to
robots” written by Judith Aquino these nine jobs are Pharmacists,
Lawyers/paralegals, drivers, astronauts, store clerks, soldiers, babysitters,
rescuers and sportswriters and other reporters. These nine job may someday be
taken over by robots. What happens to the people that work in these fields?
They lose their jobs which will raise our unemployment rate. At the same time
it will lower the unemployment rate because we will need people to fix the
robots if they break down and we will also need people to make the robots. What
I don’t understand is why we need robots to do these jobs. Most of these jobs
are easy jobs that I don’t think robots should take over. “Aeon Co., a major
Japanese retailer, introduced a four-foot-tall yellow and white robot at a
store in 2008 whose job is to babysit children while the adults shop.” (Aquino).
I don’t know about you but if I had kids I would not want my kids being babysat
by a robot. According to an article by CBS news the US army could replace one
fourth of combat soldiers by 2030. This can be a good and bad thing. It can be
good if they have robots for deactivating bombs but other than that I think
that they should keep human soldiers. If the robot breaks down in the middle of
a battle you are out of luck. What if the robot driving for us breaks down in
the middle of driving? You’re in big trouble then. Most of these jobs don’t
need a robot doing it for them. They’re simple jobs that humans have no problem
doing. All that robots will do is make the US economy worse due to raising
unemployment.
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ReplyDeleteAlthough that might seem unfortunate for the workers, this constitutes to structural unemployment, which is present even during full employment, so it's not necessarily bad for the economy. It just means that workers' skills are becoming irrelevant as technology advances, and since the study of economics is all about efficiency, it's considered a positive change. My one concern with this is with low-skill jobs. Cashiers in restaurants are sometimes replaced by self-ordering machinery, which completely replaces an employee to operate a register. That can severely and possibly irreversibly damage job availability for high school students.
ReplyDeleteWhile I suppose some jobs can be taken by robots, I think there will always need to be human workers. For example, doctors. People aren't as black and white as factory work, and humans will be needed to determine causes and diagnose issues with people. In this respect, many people could lose jobs, but robots will not be able to completely run the economy any time soon.
ReplyDeleteWith the more and more technology that is coming out it is easier and cheaper in the long run to have something that doesn't need breaks and can work over night. It is wrong to replace hard working men and women with robots. My uncle had recently lost his job to his company increase in technology so it is pushing out man power which isn't good. This is a problem for kids coming fresh out of high school students trying to get into the work force.
ReplyDeleteI dont see robots taking over the jobs you mentioned. It would be very hard to watch the news with a robot talking and giving the reports. I dont think it would be as interesting. Another example you said was drivers, unless every car on the street had a robot behind the wheel this wouldnt work. People are much more efficient behind wheels because they are able to look all around and make quick decisions. Overall, I couldnt see this in the near future but even if it did happen the unemployment rate wouldnt drop for two reason, one is people would need to fix the robots like you said which would create more jobs and second of all, newscasters who lose their jobs could find new jobs as newscasters which would be structural unemployment
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article because Its crazy to think that the very technology we make to help us be more efficient and to make our lives easier can end up taking jobs from hardworking people. Technology is such a interesting topic because the more advanced it becomes the more obsolete the creators become, and it has such a important presence in the economy of the world in general.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting topic to read about, because in so many ways robots are taking over our lives. There is a very thin line between what I think robots should do and what they shouldn't and there is a lot of risk. For example, I would not trust a robot at all to drive my car, but if you think about it our main transportation used to be by horse. And we took the risk to start trusting cars as reliable means of transportation. I think robots are the next step for our society, but it will be a big leap for most.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to believe how many jobs are actually in jeopardy of being lost to robots. We always talk about in the future this will happen and that will happen, but now we are actually entering that future where automation is king. It is going to be quite a change when some of the basic entry-level jobs are taken over by robots. Not only will it make getting a job more difficult for high school and college students but it will also make the job market even more competitive than it is already. It's hard to believe that is even a possibility.
ReplyDeleteWhile we are fully willing to embrace new breakthroughs in innovation and technology, there is one large opportunity cost in the rise in technology improvements and that is robots taking over jobs. This problem is one that affects low wage workers in particular because it is the low wage workers that often times have easy factory jobs that can be recreated by robots. While there are some downsides to robot employees such as the possibility of a malfunction, robots work 24/7 for no pay so if a company can get away with using them there is no reason why they would not take advantage. Besides those hired to make and fix the robots, many people will face unemployment because of robots taking over their jobs which for many could cause serious financial hardships.
ReplyDeleteThis very thing can be seen in many factories today. Many automotive factories are already being run by robots throughout the entire assemble line. This does make certain jobs easier by making humans not have to do all the unwanted jobs however this also takes many jobs away from people who are willing to work. With new advances in technology many lower paying jobs will be taken away and forcing people to find other ways to make a living.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has obviously been in high demand this past decade and is continuing to grow. However, robots will never be able to utilize abstract thinking - they will only be able to do what they are programmed to do. I don't think they will take over the world or take over anything really. I think humans need to be cautious of the fact that we could easily be getting to the point where we are overly reliant on technology to help us function and work, but at the same time technology to a certain point and extent is healthy. If we can figure out a way to get a perfect balance going between human workers and technological assistance, we will be on a really good track. Also, since us high school kids are able to see the flaw that robots working instead of humans is bad and would severely increase unemployment, I'm very certain that those in power and those in control of how things are run will also have the sense in them to realize that if they start down this path, eventually they'll create a robot to replace them and we will become a lesser being to what we created. I don't think that will ever happen for that exact reason I just presented.
ReplyDeleteI to find it a little unethical to think that the jobs and maybe even the world would be taken over from robots. However there was some good points made on what they could do like take our jobs for a variety of reasons. Its just very difficult to see how robots will take over the job business and put everyone into unemployment. But then there would be no point to the school business which would be so much harder even to.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the reason that we are advancing in robots is to take over simple tasks in assembly lines and things like that. I do not think they will take over the world however. There's no way we would let robots take all of our jobs. Plus human's are better than robots. Robots are programmed to do a certain task but humans can improvise if something goes wrong. Overall human's will always be smarter than robots, although robots are generally faster. This is a cool idea though, technology is advancing really fast.
ReplyDeleteChanging from humans to robots in many of these occupations would take years to change. Like what Parker Brey said, having robot drivers would only work if every car on the road was robot powered. Many people wouldn't be able to afford owning a robot. Also, if our technologies advanced enough and had robots doing more of the work, it could lower prices because humans aren't actually doing it so it may be more efficient, costing buyers less money to pay for their good or service.
ReplyDeleteI find it pretty ironic that in order to post all these comments we had to type in a security code to prove that we are not robots also.
DeleteWith the way technology is headed I firmly believe some jobs will be replaced by robots or some sort of superior technology. I agree that this is a bad thing because technology does not have the ability to make ethical decisions because they do not feel like humans do. Because they cannot make ethical thoroughly thought through decisions there is a possibility that they could go rouge not I-robot kind of rouge but the malfunctioning kind of rouge because they are machines and if you expect more than the machine can provide it could be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it is a good idea. Like you said some of these jobs are easy and don't need a robot to do the job. But, also someone could want to have this robot to help just because of the fact that this can lower the production costs and therefor products might be cheaper in the long run. I think that this is something to consider for certain jobs like factories and jobs that don't take a lot of skill. But there will always be certain things that cannot be taken over by robots like nurses and teachers. There is a way but this would worsen our economy because students and people don't want to be taken care of by robots. So yes, I think that robots can help in some aspects of life but can also hurt in other aspects.
ReplyDeleteI feel like robots taking over the world is a overstatement. Robots are taking certain jobs within the industry and making it easier for the America population. It also creates job within the robotics industry, because who needs to maintain the robots, make the robots, design the robots, sell the robots. It could be a calling of American to get a high education, make more money, and have some job security in a up and coming sector of the economy. There is a human controlling every robot in the end. For example, my uncle who is the Senior VP for Humana has a robot to go from meeting to meeting, because it is more efficient for him to have robot at his home office in Kentucky, while he is meeting cliental in Seattle. Therefore, when people start freaking about the world being taken over by robots, step back and look at the bigger picture.
ReplyDeleteLike you said, most of the jobs a very easy jobs with little skill required. And those who are loosing their jobs are not very educated or posses a useful skill. While they will loose their job it will allow them to receive training or education on a new and better skill. Freeing up the tedious and unskilled jobs will free up more humans to receive a better education and better the resource market. The loss of jobs would be structural and would not be as devastating to the economy as cyclical unemployment.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, partially. The robots are being introduced more and more nowadays, but with the amount of glitches/kinks they have, they won’t be able to be fully functional for numerous years. Although some assembly lines are using motorized robots for their work, full sized robots won’t be able to communicate with others due to the glitches that they may face. Every robot has glitches, but it may take awhile for that glitch to be figured out, so people will still have their job. All in all, I don’t think that robots aren’t going to take over the world for awhile, and I don’t think they ever will, but good article!
ReplyDeleteIt is regrettable that lots of people are loosing their jobs because of robots some of it though is for the better like for welding. Some of the machines that are welding have to be operated and overseen by other seasoned welders and/or metal fabricators, and the welds are perfect nearly every time. True though some of these jobs absolutely need humans to do should never be replaced by robots, because there is a risk of a robot malfunctioning and hurt or kill a child. that is a risk I don't think anyone is willing to take. I can trust going into a building made by robots but not with my kids.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that robots being brought into the work industry would help our economy due to the fact that people are going to need to write the program, make the robot, and then set it up at their store so jobs are going to be created by these robots. I do not agree with the pharmacist,babysitter, or driver because these are all jobs in which people act differently everyday and the only way to counter this is to be there in real time; especially with the driving. What do you do at the pharmacist when the customer asks a question that the robot hasn't heard before, you'd be out of luck. Keep the robots to bagging groceries but away from the children or tasks that involve tasks that are changing regularly.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a good thing. The advancement in technology isn't going to replace jobs. It will just make it easier for the people who had to previously do the work by hand. Robots lack ethics and personality which are two key factors to customer satisfaction, so there will still be a demand for us humans.
ReplyDeleteAlthough your hypothesis about robots taking over the job industry is highly interesting and entertaining, i personally doubt it. Yes there are more jobs that can be done by robots to count, there are still jobs that a human just can't be replaced in, and this is simply because robots lack the feelings that humans have that make us who we are. This would indeed boost the economy thoroughly because we wouldn't have to worry about a lack of production but at the same time how would we acquire the money to purchased what's produced, so maybe in turn this is a bad idea because it can be either good or bad for the economy.
ReplyDeleteClearly as technological advances increase the fear of job loss becomes more and mo evident; however, it is not so much job loss overall as a shift in job demand to a different sector. There will be an increasing need for computer programers and technicians in the ever growing world of IT and a decrease in the demand for simple labor occupations. Although some people fear a robotic takeover the amount of dollars and revenue generated from producing, repairing, and maintaining the robots can do nothing, but provide economic benefit.
ReplyDeleteI understand how it may be possible for very few jobs to be replaced by robots or machinery, though I don't think it will be enough to lessen the unemployment rate anymore than it is (if so, very little). However, it has happened over the years, so it is definitely a possibility. If we look at the bigger picture, like Sri said, some businesses like Apple need these 'robots'. Like for instance, in a recent video we watched in class, it discussed the workers in China making Apple products and how Apple had made a ridiculous amount of sales. Apple would have had more if production was faster, though there was a shortage. Like Trivelle said, "...we wouldn't have to worry about a lack of production." or shortages if there were robots. Overall, Jeremy you bring up a good topic because I can see both the benefits and disadvantages to having robots/machinery in society's workforce.
ReplyDeleteI see where you are coming from because I watched the news about the acquisition of various companies dealing with robotics by Google and thought this was going to be the future. Even though the idea of robots taking over much of the workplace is not insane, I don’t think it will be happening anytime soon. How it will affect the economy remains to be unclear, but it can turn both ways. There is a reason why robots are gaining so much more popularity and numbers in the last couple of years. Technology is changing at a rapid rate and this allows much more efficient and cost effective machines that can do much more work than regular humans. Just see how much the assembly line has changed in a couple of decades. This also raises the controversial question about human workers, and the level of unemployment they will face when robots are put into the field. I agree with other people in that there are some areas that robots just would not work well. Jobs that require big decisions and have little room for error wouldn’t be the best place for robots. That however, is changing quickly as companies are building smarter, more human-like robots. I cannot say that robots will bring down the economy because there are a lot of benefits that come included. We can only wait and see. I like this post because it’s a debatable issue that will keep getting brought up in the future.
ReplyDeleteIf robots take over jobs it would remove a lot of low skill, low pay jobs that anybody can do. This could mean people will need more skills to take higher paying jobs and may cause them to have more debt due to college loans and the like. They might have more debt but the jobs would be higher paying and maybe help the economy by providing money to schools who provide training for higher paying jobs. The higher paying jobs would also mean more taxes.
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting to think about. The thought of a robot becoming the replacement for babysitters is almost frightening. How would a robot know the difference between a child's cough and choking? How could a robot provide CPR or know when to call 911 or not. What if there was a break in, how could the robot know to protect the kids from the break in, for all the robot knows it could just be a neighborhood friend. If the world starts to give these jobs to robots, they are just making matters worse. The unemployment rate will sky rocket because so many people depend on these simple jobs for a living.
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