Robots may Replace Half the Work Force
Posted 02-14-2014 at 09:43 AM by Fortoggie
Robots are getting "smarter" and more agile by the week. A report on PBS February 13, 2014, showed not only that automation is gaining ground but the segment ended by saying that within 20 years; robots will replace half the work force.
When I bring the subject up around the coffee table where me and my retiree friends meet, they are dismissive, saying that we can adjust, meaning of course that their children or grandchildren can adjust.
Yet everyone sitting around the table had their careers ended in ways they hadn't planed on. Technology, automation and computerization had affected us all in ways we couldn't control.
My hope is that those of us who are retired can take a more realistic overview of the situation and in some way try to slow down the rate of change and help others realize that the minds and habits of mankind cannot adjust as quickly as the geeks expect us too.
When I bring the subject up around the coffee table where me and my retiree friends meet, they are dismissive, saying that we can adjust, meaning of course that their children or grandchildren can adjust.
Yet everyone sitting around the table had their careers ended in ways they hadn't planed on. Technology, automation and computerization had affected us all in ways we couldn't control.
My hope is that those of us who are retired can take a more realistic overview of the situation and in some way try to slow down the rate of change and help others realize that the minds and habits of mankind cannot adjust as quickly as the geeks expect us too.
Total Comments 4
Comments
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I saw you blog post and felt compeled to comment. If those you know need any proof of the harmful effects of what robots/automation is having on the future and present work force, have them watch Inequlity For All, there's a good piece in the film on just this subject. It certainly has me rethinking quite a bit of the use of certain things and companies.Posted 02-16-2014 at 05:02 PM by TRosa
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I don't see a point in slowing it down... We can't resist change. It's going to happen inevitably, regardless of how much you don't want it to happen.
When robots replace certain jobs, more jobs for other things will come available. For instance, we will need more people to fix the robots, programmers to create updates and fix bugs. Instead of worrying about what will happen in the future, adapt and keep living. That's the only thing we have power over.Posted 02-20-2014 at 05:38 AM by jdbelland86
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Well there isn't much that we can do to slow down this momentum but I think that it will displace millions of workers. We could use some of this new technology to communicate and decide how we can build a life that is not affected by these bent-for hell-geeks.Posted 02-20-2014 at 05:07 PM by Fortoggie
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Can you keep up?
As an update, last night on PBS, there was a two hour documentary on how the work force has already changed over the last two decades.
In general companies have done very well, while robots and computerization have reduced the number of employees needed by about 15 % and the march goes on.
The other side of that coin is that work places are driving hard to get the worker to speed up so as to be able to keep up with the machines.Posted 02-28-2014 at 12:00 PM by Fortoggie
