The workplace is changing, and Americans have to prepare. Doing so requires having a realistic vision of what the future holds: just how many jobs will robots replace, and what will displaced workers do? “In the long run, nearly all current jobs will go away,” says UC Berkeley computer scientist Stuart Russell. Russell envisions “an […]
Author Archives: Mary
Electronic Strike Zone: Human Umpires vs. Robo Umps
The technology is here, but are baseball fans ready for robo umps? Human umpires will keep their jobs, but the job will not look the same. The electronic strike zone could be one of the most significant changes to the game, according to the Bleacher Report. Throughout baseball history, players and fans trusted the eyesight […]
20 Million Manufacturing Jobs Displaced by Machines
Machines are expected to displace about 20 million manufacturing jobs across the world. That’s according to a recent report from global forecasting and quantitative analysis firm Oxford Economics. Because of this, Amazon is helping U.S. workers stay employed in this increasingly automated economy. To do so, Amazon will spend $700 million over the next six […]
Will AI Steal Food and Fashion Jobs?
Teaching artificial intelligence how (in what order) to construct a pizza may lead to bigger things. But can a computer ever replace your favorite pizza maker? Researchers and MIT and Qatar Computing Research Institute built an AI system that can look at a photo of a pizza and deduce whether the sauce, cheese, or toppings […]
RaaS: Building Security Industry Hits Automation Tipping Point
In 2017, the world employed an estimated 20 million private security officers. But, robots can perform the same work as these humans at a cost of about 30 to 65 percent less. For the building security industry, Robotics-as-a-Service (RaaS) is the biggest automation threat to human workers so far. One human managing a few remote […]
Amazon to Pack Orders Using Machines Instead of Human Workers
Amazon is beginning to use machines to box up customer orders. Will thousands of human workers who currently do this work soon be out of a job? The CartonWrap technology, reports Reuters, can pack up to 700 boxes per hour, which is five times the rate of a human packer. Amazon is considering installing two […]
Will Tesla’s Self-Driving Cars Ever Actually Drive Themselves?
Over the years, Elon Musk has boasted about Tesla’s self-driving capabilities. But, honestly, just how autonomous is the car—and will it really ever be able to drive itself? Reuters reports that Musk, Tesla’s chief executive, began touting “Autopilot,” the car’s “full self-driving capability,” back in 2015. Now, it’s 2019, and we’ve yet to see Musk’s […]
Can You Save Your Job from the Robots?
Over the next 15 to 20 years, up to 47 percent of U.S. jobs may be replaced by robots and artificial intelligence. Here’s what you need to know. The job-stealing robots are not the clunky, blue-collar machines of the past. Rather, reports The New Yorker magazine, they are white-collar robots (aka globots) that will come […]
Blockchain Enables Overseas Military to Vote in 2020 Presidential Election
Military voters stationed overseas will be able to cast votes for the 2020 presidential election, thanks to a mobile app that uses a private blockchain. But is it too risky? Startup Voatz created an app that can enhance participation by overseas voters, reports MIT Technology Review. And West Virginia’s elections director Donald Kersey thinks it’s […]
Blended Workforce: The Future of Humans and Robots Working Together
Organizations know that the future workforce will look different, but they’re not preparing as they should. Turns out, humans and robots can make a really good team. Forbes reports that artificial intelligence will eliminate human jobs, but not necessarily as organizations envision it. For example, rather than replace all human employees with technology, companies should […]