Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 1.22

Automation of jobs? View vs. Counter view!

VIEW: Aditya Sareen   

I believe that Automation of jobs is inevitable as we advance further into the future and is a vital step in the evolution of Mankind. Automation, put simply in the current times, is the occupation of human jobs by robots, AI, and programming.

There are substantial reasons that strengthen the stance for the automation of jobs and one of the primary reasons is simply that humans cannot work as fast as robotic machines. In fact, the pace of humans cannot be increased even if they have lot of previous experience, whereas robots can perform a task within a blink of an eye. Moreover, tasks which are dangerous for the health of a human body can be done by the robots without affecting them in any way. In this way, the work is done in a more efficient manner and also saves a number of lives. In addition to this, robots and robotics systems can also work at a constant speed. Hence, robots can perform even difficult tasks in an easy and time bound manner. Due to the fact that robots work faster than humans, the output of finished products manufactured by robots and robotic systems is much more than the output produced by manpower. While robots help with increased production, the production of the defective good decreases; producing similar quality products in less time and more accuracy.

By the end of this century, it is sensible to believe that 70% of our jobs will be replaced by automation. This wave of replacement is being headed by the development of various sensors, AI technologies and advanced robotic engineering.

COUNTERVIEW: Priya G A

The question I want to put forward here is, 'Does the technology (robots) we are developing ultimately benefit mankind?' Although robots could be potentially beneficial to a certain extent, they would also lead to a huge catastrophe which in turn might lead to technological unemployment which means the loss of jobs by technological change. Just as horses employed as prime movers were gradually made obsolete by the automobile industry, human jobs have also been affected throughout modern history. Historical examples include artisan weavers reduced to poverty after the introduction of mechanised looms. A contemporary example of technological unemployment is the displacement of retail cashiers by self-service task carriers.

             According to Prof. Mosche Vardi, we are approaching a time when machines will be able to outperform humans at almost any task and that the rise of robots could lead to unemployment rates greater than 50%. The reasons supporting the stance that robots should not replace humans in their jobs include the fact that robotic systems and robots are limited to their functions and only the programmers really know what the functions are, and also that the initial cost of the same is high. Moreover, unless Artificial Intelligence is highly sophisticated, robots may not respond properly in times of an emergency or when some unexpected variance occurs. Another reason states that the aggressive introduction of robots and robotic systems in the world is making companies and human beings more dependent upon the same and is therefore paving way to a dependent society which is not desirable. Lastly, robots and robotic systems replace certain workers causing economic losses with possible resultant shortening of their lifespan.

         There are job sectors where robots dare not venture. There are certain professions in which human creativity, subjective judgement, and craftsmanship will remain superior to any skill a machine can offer such as a child care expert as robots cannot take care of small children or babies in the same way a human being can, and chefs because robots don’t eat organic food and nor do they smell or taste things. Only a human can express the art of cooking. Coming to the profession of a doctor, Just like childcare professionals, artists, journalists and chefs – the one human trait a good doctor shares with these people is empathy. If a patient feels their doctor genuinely cares for them, they are likely to feel better and heal faster. Robots, for all their complexity and computing ability, just don’t express genuine human empathy.