Yeah, I know. We were promised flying cars decades ago. We should all be rockin’ the Jetsons’ life. It hasn’t happened yet, but the advancement in robotics is happening at a blistering pace. So much so, the ethics of robots taking your job is being questioned. Is there a societal benefit, or will this just exacerbate employment issues that are already systemic?
Good news, because there is literally a poll for everything. The split is between technologists and scientists who view a robotic world through separate lenses. A survey released by Pew took a look at views regarding robots taking over jobs, and the views are split.
Some are utopian that we will have more leisure time, goods will be cheaper and self-driving cars. Self-driving cars sounds great until you start to think about it. The idea behind them is to replace long-haul truck drivers. Hmm, rolling off a mountain in Wyoming with spotty connections. That sounds safe. Or, the truck goes through a dip and loses connectivity. Hello multi-car pileup.
And that is just talking about the technology aspect. Have any of the futurists actually driven on the interstate system? You know the feeling of playing bumper cars? Yeah, it’s like that. Our roads are terrible.
Pew Results
The results over robots taking jobs over has created a split in the scientific community. Forty-eight percent of respondents say that they will destroy more jobs than they create. Fifty-two percent have the opposing view.
Pew was surprised by the results, saying that this is the first survey where it was split. One area that they agreed on was the failings of the U.S. education system. One likened it to a Henry Ford education for a Mark Zuckerberg economy. Well, the kids could always get Instagram famous. Outside the box thinking.
The jobs that are at risk, according to respondents, are ones that don’t require human traits. Then again, take what the respondents say are jobs with human traits with a grain of salt. You can find empathy and ingenuity in a lot of the jobs scientists think are heading for the chopping block.
Plus, we have heard this all before. Technology will make us obsolete. If anything, it has made us all ADD. Obsolete? Nah, I don’t consider hitting the ESPN app while at work an obsolete task. It’s multitasking at its finest.
