According to World Bank research, automation imperils 69% of jobs in India. Scaremongering or early warning? By 2025, 70% of the country’s population would be of working age. Would advances in robotics, materials, artificial intelligence, ubiquitous high-speed networks, driverless vehicles and solar energy have completely transformed the economic landscape and rendered jobs scarce? Scary though the eventuality is, it cannot be dismissed outright.
Planners lack the wisdom to divine the future and plan for it. What can be done is to prepare India’s biggest strength, its human capital, to become creative and productive in unforeseen circumstances and to create the requisite social and physical infrastructure. Investment in social infrastructure — education, health, skills — must go hand in hand with investment in physical infrastructure. Past technological disruptions conclusively demonstrate that education is the key determinant and predictor of economic growth. Prioritising education requires an exponential increase in public spending on education but that alone is not enough. There is need for a radical change in the approach to learning, and the focus must be on outcomes. Critical thinking and challenging of received verities lay the ground for innovation. But a hierarchical society with highly skewed distribution of social power and wealth militate against a questioning attitude across society. Hyper-nationalism and majoritarianism have a similar effect.
Poverty, malnutrition and dysfunctional schools and public healthcare reinforce one another and the process of stunting minds and bodies. Stunted people are more likely to become victims of rapid social change than to ride it. The need is for inclusive and sustained growth.
Jobs that might be taken over by robots
Clerks
Companies look for ways to sell more products with fewer employees. ATM machines reduced the need for bank tellers, virtual assistants can answer the phone 24 hours a day, and selfservice machines are reducing the need for checkout clerks.
Factory workers
Robots come at a cheaper price and can work without taking breaks. A first robots-only factory is already being built in china.
Financial middle men
Blockchain, bitcoin’s computer program, can automatically process transactions and create a perfect, reliable digital record. recently, nasdaq said it will use blockchain to keep transaction records in its pre-ipo mark.
Lawyers
Non-litigation lawyers could soon be replaced by online form-based services like LegalZoom that can carry out simple tasks like trademark applications, wills and even divorce.
Pharmacists
The ucsf medical center in california recently launched a robotics-controlled pharmacy at two ucsf hospitals.
Astronauts
Nasa’s robonaut2 is equipped with a wide array of sensors and dexterous fivefingered hands and can help clean the space station and assist humans in space operations.
Waiters
An eatery which opened recently in Japan has a robot couple to wait on tables. Robot bartenders onboard Royal Caribbean’s ‘smart ship’ can shake a martini, cut limes & measure alcohol for pretty much any cocktail.
Will robots eat our jobs in the future?
Artificial intelligence is still in its infancy across the globe, when it does develop, it cannot be an overnight phenomenon. I think it is far to early to say that robots will cause unemployment. Employment opportunities are created by wealth creators -- which are mainly manufacturers to large scale service providers. This is a cycle and robotics are a small segment of this cycle. I do not think robots will take away our jobs in future.
Rajlakshmi R, class X, DAV Public School, Thane
Yes. The revolution is fast-approaching. These humanoid workers have already begun setting feet in our labour markets. The robots are far more specialized and sophisticated and can perform better at a variety of jobs. And definitely, the 'robot labour' is going to eat all our jobs. There shall soon come a time when these intelligent and clever workers will rule our economy. Humans shall no longer be productive and will live on the incomes generated by these all-singing, all-dancing creations.
Onkarpreet Kaur, class X, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Panchkula
Absolutely. Robots and robot assisted devices are driving cars, fetching our meals, cleaning our homes and even teaching kids. Moreover, you don't even know when you are talking to chat bots on Facebook messenger! I just hope we don't end up like the movies where robots take over humans as well.
Gayathri Rajesh, class XI, Navy Children School, New Delhi