Articles
Do you think a robot could do your job? There doesn’t seem to be a month that goes by without another depressing story hitting the news about workers being laid off and replaced by automated systems.
Apple supplier Foxconn has replaced 60,000 workers with robots at its Kunshan facility in Jiangsu province in China, with more companies in the area looking set to follow suit. A recent study by Deloitte and Oxford University said that 35% of jobs in the UK have high chances of being automated. The three top at-risk sectors were said to be manufacturing, wholesale and retail, and professional, scientific and technical roles.
Despite this, many well-educated white-collar workers may scoff at the idea that robots will ever be truly capable of replacing roles such as doctors or lawyers. But author Martin Ford is here to shatter that belief, with his disturbing message that robots are coming for everyone’s jobs, and sooner than you might think.
Ford, who worked in software development for 25 years, guides us through the latest technological advances in robotics and artificial intelligence with an engaging journalistic approach. He takes an informed look at the threats they pose to the entire workforce, focusing on sectors such as healthcare that are at special risk, as well as exploring the moral and philosophical issues attached to the increased use of robot workers.
As all industries take advantage of advances in big data, artificial intelligence and robotic operating software platforms, Ford warns that governments cannot rest on their laurels and simply hope that mass employment will balance out as it has before.
The book is by no means technophobic or calling to slow down the pace of progress, but is rather asking that people take the risk to jobs seriously and come up with structures and policies to protect our society and economy before it becomes too large a problem to tackle.
Ford’s whole approach to the topic is measured and well-researched, analysing labour trends, economic data and potential solutions to avoid economic catastrophe, such as the case for a basic income guarantee, without ever resorting to sensationalist claims – the facts are sensational enough. He also gives a fascinating insight into some of the latest developments in robotics and artificial intelligence from around the world.
This is an interesting, potentially prophetic, book, which sheds light on an issue many would prefer not to tackle: the obsolescence of the human workforce.
The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of Mass Unemployment, by Martin Ford, is published by Oneworld, and costs £9.99 (paperback).