Rise of robotics: humans need not apply

13 August 2014 2 min read

The exponential growth of technology is one of the biggest ‘concerns’ of many CEO’s of organizations. Technology will fundamentally transform the way we do business, create products and even deliver services. Humans need not apply is a must see documentary about the impact of automation on our economy and society

YouTube user CGPGrey is known for his interesting mini-documentaries. His latest documentary addresses the topic were we talked about numerous times in the past. How will robotics affect human labor and employment. Nowadays we hear a lot about technological unemployment. Is technology really taking away our jobs?

With the exponential growth of technology we see also more advanced robotics and software making even brainier professions more likely to become obsolete. Or at least change them fundamentally. The documentary of CGPGrey discusses not only the manual labor jobs but also jobs like doctor or lawyer. As technology advances it also makes jobs of which we thought technology would never could do them come into reach of technology and software. Is your job save for future technologies? You can’t be sure today for any job.

A Oxford University study predicted that 47 percent of all U.S. jobs are under threat to be replaced by automation. And, despite what this may conjure in the popular imagination, technology does not just threaten manufacturing jobs or those at the lower-wage end of the spectrum. Just like is stated in the documentary. The study created also a list of 20 jobs must vulnerable for technology. Telemarketers are the ones most vulnerable to computerization. Despite this technology will also create a lot of new jobs. One golden rule remains: For every problem technology solves a new one is created.

1. Tellers

2. Umpires, Referees, and Other Sports Officials

3. Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage

4. Loan Officers

5. Order Clerks

6. Brokerage Clerks

7. Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks

8. Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters

9. Data Entry Keyers

10. Library Technicians

11. New Accounts Clerks

12. Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators

13. Tax Preparers

technological unemployment mc donalds robot

14. Cargo and Freight Agents

15. Watch Repairers

16. Insurance Underwriters

17. Mathematical Technicians

18. Sewers, Hand

19. Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers

20. Telemarketers

McAfee, co-author of the book, Race against the Machine claims that: as technology races ahead, it is leaving a lot of workers behind. “We’re just on the other side of a tipping point where computers and robots and hardware and software are doing things that used to be, honestly, the domain of science fiction. That’s going to have a lot of wonderful consequences for a society in our economy. It’s going to have some very, very challenging consequences for the labor force.