The Future of Robotics : Assistants or  Replacements ?

Emily Arévalo 

It is predicted that robots will replace a greater number of human workers in the future. This essay will first discuss the professions that are susceptible to automation and will then outline how robots can eventually benefit society. According to scientists, automation is expected to affect manual labour the most. This is because jobs that involve manipulating small objects can be easily performed by robots. A recent study from the Ministry of Works claimed that by the year 2030 one-third of the existing jobs will have disappeared due to machines programmed by artificial intelligence. In recent years, we have witnessed robots and machines replacing many jobs that used to be done by people. The questions on everyone’s mind are when will it stop, will robots replace humans in everything, what jobs will be left?  As technology continues to progress, robots are becoming cleverer than people and computers learn to perform tasks with greater efficiency than us, it is worrying to think that one day robots will be in every work place and there will be less and less jobs available for people.

 

However, certain experts with superior mental dexterity skills will be still needed, such as dentists. Although various blue-collar jobs might be threatened by automation, robots are likely to bring tremendous benefits to our lives. Robots can do repetitive and monotone tasks efficiently and errorlessly. According to a survey carried out in the Department of Computer Sciences, job tasks like answering the phone or filling in a patient form could be done by robots. As a result, cognitive labour, such as lawyers and doctors, can concentrate on more demanding tasks, which require analytic thinking and research skills. Machines can now do both of these tasks, with robots developed that can drive cars safely, which could mean job losses in the future for bus and taxi drivers. For years now machines have slowly been taking over the role of building cars, in every company and every factory.

There are now less people employed in the retail and bank industries, as self-serve machines and ATMs mean that customers can do most task themselves on these, and fewer employees are needed. This is the same for pharmacies, where some are now using robots instead of people to fill in prescriptions. There is even software now that can generate stories and articles, which means less work for writers and reporters, and software that can review documents that would have previously been analyzed by lawyers. Machines can now do a lot of human tasks, with even robot astronauts being developed by NASA. Soldiers are also slowing being replaced, first by drones and also with robot soldiers being developed, though this may be seen as an advantage to many as it will save lives.

There are now over 1.2 million industrial machines and robots working across the globe, and will grow as technology advances. However there are many fields in which humans will not be able to be replaced, like artistic jobs that use our creativity and imagination, something that computers are not able to reach and places such as hospitals. Whilst there are now robots that are performing surgery, not all tasks in a hospital can be undertaken by robots. They may have steadier hands, but aren’t capable of connecting on a human level with patients.

Thus, it can be argued that this development is chiefly positive. In conclusion, I would argue that although some manual vacancies are at risk to disappear, the advantages of automation overweigh disadvantages. Computers bring many benefits for companies, who make fewer mistakes, save money and work faster and more precisely. This is why many businesses in all fields are beginning to use more machines. Robots are unable to show compassion like people do and should never be able to replace us when it comes to human interaction. Robots can reliably handle many manual tasks that humans usually consider mundane and uninteresting.