Tuesday, April 2, 2019
A New Labor Force
There is no denying the fact that every day more and more jobs are being replaced and done by machines. The article I choose to look into how AI and machines are converting the “human workforce” into the “machine workforce” and how we can prepare for it. The article was written by Jayshree Pandya, a founder of Risk Group, a strategic security risk research, and reporting organization. When we think of machines replacing humans, we usually think of how it is depicted in sci-fi movies; robots start taking over manual labor jobs and eventually outsmarting us and taking over the world, at least that’s how I use to picture it. However, while the chances of robots taking over the world are slim to none, we need to accept the fact that routine jobs are being replaced and we can’t accept job security anymore. One of the things we need to realize is that these machines aren’t just replacing blue-collar manual labor jobs, they’re also being designed to compete with the best of the best, our world’s smartest and brightest. The article states that “preparing the human workforce through today’s work models and technical skills does not guarantee the necessary skill set to compete with the emerging machine workforce,” and I believe this to be true. Since the demand for certain jobs is declining, we need to prepare the future generation for what these changes. We need to view this reliance onto machines to do routine jobs as a competitive advantage, rather than focusing on things that these machines replace, we can focus on how to better engineer and design these machines, furthermore we can redirect our skills to other types of jobs that are more malleable and can keep up with the advancements. The article also poses the importance of a four-year college degree and how it may not even be necessary since job security will no longer be something we can rely on, however, I find this to be entirely false. I think we need to prepare future generations to better adapt to these changes. I think this article highlights some important things that we need to look into to prepare for the future, and I'm excited to see how the advances in AI are going to influence our futures.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/cognitiveworld/2019/03/21/preparing-the-human-workforce-for-the-machine-workforce/#314a53072f7d
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
After reading this blog post I am able to agree and disagree with the point made. Although I do agree with a few points within this blog, which is that Artificial Intelligence is in fact taking jobs from actual human being. I do however disagree with the point made that these machines will also compete for jobs with our world’s smartest and brightest. I think this technology will eliminate many rigorous labor functions, such as inputting data but I do not think, in any time soon, that this technology will eliminate job positions that focus on using the brain and human experience/feelings/ thinking. For example, for the accounting field, new AI technology has cut down the billing hours tremendously because these individuals are no longer taking their whole days inputting data. Instead they are able to focus on their analytic abilities and producing even better outcomes. I agree these jobs will be taking over many blue collar/minimum wage positions and that people with limited education will begin to struggle. I agree that by accepting that our world is turning to technology as partners we need to begin preparing for this. We can do so by changing the gap within educational system, so those who feel that they are only qualified for those blue collar/minimum wage jobs can feel that they can take on more challenging responsibilities within the work place and that no one gets replaced in society by machines.
I think this is a very interesting topic to choose from. Usually, we look at artificial intelligence and robotics taking over the workforce but nothing is really said about what to do if these machines actually start showing dominance in the workforce. I agree with you that jobs will soon be replaced by artificially intelligent products. Some may be small and easy tasked jobs but could still take away a lot of jobs from people. I read an article about how Google is constructing robotics with artificial intelligence that when they are set to complete a task, they begin to learn more and more from their past mistakes and begin to get close to perfection on their tasks. The robotics train constantly and in the article I read, one robot's task was to throw unusually shaped objects into a bin a few feet away and the success rate of the robot was 5% greater than human. I find that to back up the idea that robotics could potentially replace many jobs and do better than humans. What I find interesting about your blog is you believe people should start learning new ways to get into the workforce. I agree with this that younger generations should begin preparing for a very electronic work environment and should start looking to alter their educations. Looking to alter education to be up to date with these advancements is smart so that kids today begin to learn how to work with these AI machines or learn to better the AI fields. I also agree with your point that a four-year degree, or any college degree, should not be looked past. I agree because in order to find more competitive and challenging jobs that these artificially intelligent machines cannot do, may be taught in the college community. In high school, you do not learn about many of these topics like robotics, in-depth learning of computer science or other fields that will help alter our workforce to comply with AI technology.
I agree with the point you made about routine jobs being replaced, because this has happened a lot. If you call a company to check the balance on your gift card, you are never talking to a person because it’s all automated. There are definitely more jobs that can be automated such as this, but there are also many jobs that are too complicated for a robot to do, for now at least. It will take time to develop technology for more advanced tasks. There is a small chance that robots will take over the labor force, but there help is something that most companies are learning to take advantage of now. I don’t think there will ever be a full-fledged robot workforce, but in the coming years and decades automated technology is going to become a larger part of the human workforce. It is true that automated technology is extremely advanced and in some cases overpowers the human workforce, so I’m not really sure where job security will stand in a decade or two. Like you said, training a human to do something is tough and it can take a while for people to get adjusted to a job, but programming a robot has it doing its task immediately. The advancement of automated technology is definitely a competitive advantage for companies and many of them such as Amazon and FedEx are using this technology to gain that advantage. It’s true that technology can be threating to human-power, but if you have the technology why not take advantage of it. It’s inevitable that some people will be laid off or will have to switch positions at the company they work for.
I think within this blog there were a lot of good points made for discussion, whether I agree with them or not. I too have always envisioned the machine workforce as similar to movies and tv shows produced by Hollywood. The idea of job security is definitely changing and even without the machine workforce involved, I can relate this to how millennials can easily change jobs and not stick with one position their entire career. However, the type of job security mentioned deals with robots taking over human jobs for purposes of saving money and faster completion time of tasks. One idea I do not agree with is how through a 4-year university and learning new skill sets, our human workforce may be unable to compete with artificial intelligence found within robots. While I should 'never say never', I find it hard to believe that robots could take over every single career like a police officer or a lawyer. I think replacing some blue collar jobs and tedious factory jobs is possible for robots, but I do not think robots will have the ability to 'run our world' in years to come. However, when I look at my generation with technology, I can see how reliant we become on forms of technology, whether intentional or not. Sure, technological advances offer a competitive advantage, but technology taking over simple tasks to me causes psychological and behavioral consequences in humans and entire generations. On the other hand, robot advancements can have a positive affect because it will cause humans to have more time to invest in other career paths which shouldn't be performed by robots. Overall, the topic of the machine workforce is so complex because there are equally valuable negatives and positives which need to be discussed, but also may contradict themselves. I do believe though when and if the machine workforce is stronger than it is now, it will occur at an appropriate time when society as a whole can adapt to that change.
This article is eye opening. As college students, we are worried about our ability to get a job after graduating from college. We spend countless hours in the classroom learning about our specific majors and preparing to enter the workforce. The way technology is advancing these days, its taking away jobs from humans. This raises the question who are really competing with? Are we competing with each other or machines? In my eyes, the answer is both. While the need for certain jobs are declining and the only thing we need to do is adapt to the changes. The jobs that the machines are taking are mostly entry level jobs for now, such as self check out.
I fear that the technology will advance to where my dream job is no longer required to do by a human. I agree that there is no such thing as job security anymore. This raises the question how can young people prepare for the future job competition? Young people and current college students need to learn how to adapt and acquire skills that found valuable across all boards. Even after graduation a person should keep learning to always stay relevant. The computer classes that we took in grade school are now skills a person cannot live without. It is rare to find a high school or college student who doesn't know how to type. Typing has become second nature to all students and is the only way to write papers. I disagree when the article talks about a four year college education will not be necessary in the future. I believe that college will be more important in the future than ever. How we learn (i.e in the classroom or online) might change but the knowledge learned in the classroom will prove to be a valuable asset when the student is ready to graduate and compete for a job. Although this advancement in technology is scary, it is also exciting to think about. I believe with the help of technology, doctors and scientists will be able to find cures for illness and help the humans live longer.
Post a Comment