Nearly half of all jobs in industrialized nations like Australia are at risk of being lost over the next two decades to robots, according to Oxford University professor Michael Osborne. Osborne says up to five million jobs could be lost to robots in Australia alone.
"What we're seeing today, and it's clearly different from yesterday, is that more and more machines are entering areas of work that are based on thought. I work in the field of artificial intelligence and I've been able to see the dizzying development in so many areas of technology. We've been asked to identify which professions are likely to be replaced by automation, and we found that 47% of professions in the US fall into this category," he emphasizes.
He says that this result also applies to Australia, given that 700 robots a year are now being introduced into the industrial space in Australia and over a million are already working intensively in various industrialized countries.
Professor David Dowie, from Monash University, adds that "in reality, everything we knew and thought could only be achieved by humans has the potential to be automated. Now, how quickly that will happen I am not in a position to know. However, I think we should be prepared.".
85% of robots in Australia work outside the automotive industry, where they once called home. A very cheap and tireless worker is everywhere. According to Baxter, the robot that has the specialty of a builder.
His boss, Chris Troman, general manager of Austral Bricks, Australia's largest brick manufacturing company, notes: "We have to embrace the development of technology. Those who follow the evolution and adopt whatever can deliver faster and more efficiently are the ones who, ultimately, will survive and thrive.".
He emphasizes that the fact that Austral relies mainly on robots has dramatically reduced accidents in the workplace, as well as labor costs. "Let's not forget that we are in a very competitive climate. The pressure to reduce business costs is constant, and this is so that we can offer our products more cheaply to the consumer.".
Something in which Baxter, the robot that costs only $35,000 and never gets tired, seems to play a leading role. A cheap and conscientious worker who marks the beginning of a new era, where the workplace landscape is changing dramatically and the role of humans will have to adapt accordingly.
Source: defencenet.gr
