Miscellaneous

Automation is a major threat to the median American worker who specializes in what is called "routine knowledge work." Andrew McAfee of the MIT Sloan School of Management explains that this is the sweet spot where technology is making its greatest inroads. Jobs like tax preparation, which often requires a mastery of formulas and policy, are becoming easier and easier to automate. At the same time, there are quite a few high-skill professions that are also feeling this sort of pressure. Computer programs can more accurately discover a smoking gun hidden within hundreds of pages of court documents.

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Thanks to automation and robotics technology, we’ve already replaced a great deal of human labor with faster and cheaper alternatives. And the trend is only accelerating. So is YOUR job at risk? An increase in robotics could mean the creation of new jobs, but will it be enough to outweigh those we eliminate?

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It's not just basic tasks anymore: Computers can now do work once deemed possible only by humans. And in some cases, the computers are doing it better. In an economy driven increasingly by intelligent automation, which jobs will survive? Hari Sreenivasan reports.

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singularityweblog.com/martin-ford-on-technological-unemployment

Technological unemployment is an issue that I have mentioned a few times during my past interviews. In fact, I would go as far as saying that it is at the bottom of the top 5 biggest problems humanity faces today. So while it may not be the very biggest issue we face right now, it definitely is a huge challenge that, if not resolved, has the potential to impact negatively on a variety of other ones – from global warming to economic growth and social stability. And so today’s interview is devoted exclusively on technological unemployment and I am very happy to discuss it with Martin Ford, who has written two best-selling books on the topic: Lights in the Tunnel and Rise of the Robots.

During our 70 min conversation with Martin Ford we cover a variety of interesting topics such as: Martin’s background as a small software entrepreneur in Silicon Valley; his interest in technological unemployment and whether it is ok that Robot’s Will Steal Your Job; why this time automation is fundamentally different from the beginning of the Industrial Revolution; whether education and hard work are enough for success; the dangers and possible implications of high technological unemployment; the proposal for Guaranteed Minimum Income; the incentives to work, capitalism and the need for systemic change…

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Are advances in artificial intelligence, robotics and other technologies leading to fewer jobs and more inequality?

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Machines could take 50% of our jobs in the next 30 years, according to scientists.

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