March 12, 2016
...AND CHEAPER...:
Every Job Could Be a Casualty of the Robot Revolution, Even Yours (Arielle Pardes, March 11, 2016, Vice)Obviously, people want to think of themselves as a special snowflake at work, not merely the sum of a few simple functions that create more value on a company's balance sheet. But as machines get better at performing all sorts of tasks, it stands to reason that they may start to take over tasks that humans are paid to do--including the stuff you're doing right now.
Doctors, lawyers, stand-up comedians, CEOs, models, journalists, personal assistants, architects, clergymen--there's evidence that all of these gigs, and many more, could be automated in form or fashion in the coming decades. Even people like Kuszewski could one day be forced out by intelligent machines if we continue to develop robopsychologists. (If you really want to squirm, consider that a rudimentary form of a robot therapist has existed since 1966.)
"During the 21st century, I think it will become technically possible to automate essentially all human jobs," said Stuart Elliott, an analyst at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the author of research on how new technology will transform the workplace.
Posted by Orrin Judd at March 12, 2016 8:50 AM