Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

What Jobs Will the Robots Take?
The Atlantic ^ | Jan 23 2014 | Derek Thompson

Posted on 01/24/2014 2:28:11 PM PST by Second Amendment First

It is an invisible force that goes by many names. Computerization. Automation. Artificial intelligence. Technology. Innovation. And, everyone's favorite, ROBOTS.

Whatever name you prefer, some form of it has been stoking progress and killing jobs—from seamstresses to paralegals—for centuries. But this time is different: Nearly half of American jobs today could be automated in "a decade or two," according to a new paper by Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne, discussed recently in The Economist. The question is: Which half?

Another way of posing the same question is: Where do machines work better than people? Tractors are more powerful than farmers. Robotic arms are stronger and more tireless than assembly-line workers. But in the past 30 years, software and robots have thrived at replacing a particular kind of occupation: the average-wage, middle-skill, routine-heavy worker, especially in manufacturing and office admin.

Indeed, Frey and Osborne project that the next wave of computer progress will continue to shred human work where it already has: manufacturing, administrative support, retail, and transportation. Most remaining factory jobs are "likely to diminish over the next decades," they write. Cashiers, counter clerks, and telemarketers are similarly endangered. On the far right side of this graph, you can see the industry breakdown of the 47 percent of jobs they consider at "high risk."

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 next last
While computerization has been historically confined to routine tasks involving explicit rule-based activities, algorithms for big data are now rapidly entering domains reliant upon pattern recognition and can readily substitute for labour in a wide range of non-routine cognitive tasks. In addition, advanced robots are gaining enhanced senses and dexterity, allowing them to perform a broader scope of manual tasks. This is likely to change the nature of work across industries and occupations.
1 posted on 01/24/2014 2:28:11 PM PST by Second Amendment First
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Black Agnes
While computerization has been historically confined to routine tasks involving explicit rule-based activities, algorithms for big data are now rapidly entering domains reliant upon pattern recognition and can readily substitute for labour in a wide range of non-routine cognitive tasks. In addition, advanced robots are gaining enhanced senses and dexterity, allowing them to perform a broader scope of manual tasks. This is likely to change the nature of work across industries and occupations.

You might want to weigh in on this.

2 posted on 01/24/2014 2:30:42 PM PST by Alex Murphy ("the defacto Leader of the FR Calvinist Protestant Brigades")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

I expect to see robots doing police work at some point. Say flying drones checking speeds on the highway then landing to issue citations.


3 posted on 01/24/2014 2:31:18 PM PST by ez (Muslims do not play well with others.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First
Once the robots unionize, no one will have to worry about them taking over jobs.


4 posted on 01/24/2014 2:31:26 PM PST by USFRIENDINVICTORIA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

Vice-Presiednt!


5 posted on 01/24/2014 2:32:17 PM PST by Dr. Ursus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

All of them.


6 posted on 01/24/2014 2:33:50 PM PST by Sirius Lee (All that is required for evil to advance is for government to do "something")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First
Moonshiners?


7 posted on 01/24/2014 2:34:04 PM PST by Hugin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

politics - DBots will be programmed with variants of the ‘From each according to his ability, to each according to his voting pattern’ algorithms and RBots will be programmed with ‘we agree with and cave into the DBots’ algorithm.


8 posted on 01/24/2014 2:35:24 PM PST by posterchild
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

Couldn’t make it past “more tireless.”


9 posted on 01/24/2014 2:38:16 PM PST by KingLudd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First
What Jobs Will the Robots Take?

POTUS? Congressman? Shoot, couldn't be any worse than it is now. We'll just have it read the Constitution. Hell, a robot might even believe it was supposed to obey the thing.

10 posted on 01/24/2014 2:39:23 PM PST by Still Thinking (Freedom is NOT a loophole!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

What Jobs Will the Robots Take?

Making robots..................


11 posted on 01/24/2014 2:40:08 PM PST by Red Badger (Proud member of the Zeta Omicron Tau Fraternity since 2004...................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

12 posted on 01/24/2014 2:40:15 PM PST by Vaquero (Don't pick a fight with an old guy. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Hugin

Who is he texting?.................


13 posted on 01/24/2014 2:40:38 PM PST by Red Badger (Proud member of the Zeta Omicron Tau Fraternity since 2004...................)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

0bama voters.


14 posted on 01/24/2014 2:40:40 PM PST by Paladin2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Alex Murphy

All the white collar workers who said ‘neener neener’ when the blue collar workers were replaced by automation and robots will themselves be replaced by AI.

Once the elites no longer have need of us to make their world go round the fun’ll really start.

Think they’re just ranting about a world population of only 100M people? They’re serious. The rest will be non human workers. Why do you think they’re harping and obsessive on population control? Do you think they want to save the planet for YOUR children? HA!


15 posted on 01/24/2014 2:41:51 PM PST by Black Agnes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Paladin2

‘Feed us because we can’t find a job to match our IQ’ voters.

Your job will be next.

45 years ago most Obama voter types were employed. In jobs that have since been automated. What do you think will become of the IQ 100 and below population? With AI make that IQ 125 and below. Will you be willing to support them with your taxes? Will you simply watch them starve in the streets? Euthanize them? Sterilize them? What will you do with people who can no longer find a job because they’ve been replaced by non human workers.

Inquiring minds want to know.


16 posted on 01/24/2014 2:44:11 PM PST by Black Agnes
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

Let’s test the first robot out in the White House


17 posted on 01/24/2014 2:45:49 PM PST by faithhopecharity (C)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First

State legislators will require professional registration of all occupations in order to protect human labor.


18 posted on 01/24/2014 2:46:00 PM PST by Perdogg (Ted Cruz-Rand Paul 2016)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Second Amendment First
I can think of one thing in particular. Anxiously awaiting the day...


19 posted on 01/24/2014 2:48:29 PM PST by Rodamala
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rodamala

Replacing Justin Bieber?


20 posted on 01/24/2014 2:50:44 PM PST by posterchild
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-80 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson