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Forbes
Forbes
Business
Michael B. Arthur, Contributor

How Are You 'Reckoning With The Robots' -- And What Will The Future Of Work Mean For You?

A recent Wall Street Journal article by Manhattan Institute writer Oren Cass bears the title quoted above. It echoes futurist Martin Ford’s 2015 book title Rise of the Robots, and invites you to consider their overall effects on the future of work. But what about a more personal perspective? How are you reckoning with the rise of robots in the future of your work? Below are some questions to consider.

A robot soccer match at the RoboCup GermanOpen in Magdeburg, Germany, April 28, 2018. Over 1,000 participants from 16 countries demonstrated state-of-the-art robotics in competitions such as soccer, rescue and services. (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)

What is a robot? A straightforward definition of a robot is a machine capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, especially a series of actions programmable by a computer. This is a wider definition than the humanoid figures we often associate with robots, such as in the soccer match illustration above. However, it may be more helpful to focus on the functionality of a machine, rather than on its looks. Moreover, the definition alerts us to a wider range of automated actions, for example in the widespread use of robots in stock trading.

Do robots displace jobs? If you look back in time and accumulate evidence of lost jobs, the answer will be yes. An example of such a view is Darrell M. West’s The Future of Work. He provides broad evidence of robots replacing existing jobs, for example for people operating manufacturing presses. Other writers and politicians have echoed the argument, giving rise to apparent scaremongering about robots’ place in the digital revolution. There is a related anxiety disorder called robophobia – a fear of robots – on which your author is no expert. However, if there’s any suspicion you have it please get the help you need!

Do robots create new jobs? If you begin with the installation of a robot and follow that forward in future time, the answer will be yes. Robots require people to program and service them, and 0pen up frontiers for new work not previously in range. In this case, the problem becomes whether you, the individual, have the necessary skills to step into a new work role. One example is the automated teller machine (ATM). It replaced some bank teller jobs but also cut the cost of services, so that commercial banks have more employees today and provide wider services – for example in mortgage approval, wealth management, financial planning and supporting small businesses – than they did 25 years ago.

What would consumers prefer? In my part of the world, three different grocery stores have three different checkout arrangements. Stop and Shop encourages you to check out yourself, using a robot to save money (and possibly save you time). Trader Joe’s insists you check out with a cashier, who will pack your bags, ask if you’ve found everything, and help if you haven’t. Market Basket employs separate cashiers and packers, where the cashiers are polite but stick to their task, and the packers are grateful for the work. Where would you rather shop? Not all potential uses of robots are going to appeal to consumers’ tastes, even if they may appear to save your business time or money.

What about the inner you? If you have witnessed job losses to robots, you may be pessimistic about their effect on your career. Conversely, if you have benefited from robots creating new opportunities, you may be optimistic about their effect on your career. In either case, you may wish to do more research into robots’ influence over your career field. (For example, you might read Paul Scharre’s book Army of None if you are involved in a military career, or Joseph Aoun’s book Robot-Proof if you are involved in business education.

What about your present career situation? How can you better understand the way robots are affecting your career right now? Kevin Kelly, founder and now “senior maverick” at Wired magazine, suggests you see it from your own and from technology’s perspective. From your perspective, ask a) what jobs do you do today that robots will eventually do better, and b) what future jobs will you be able to do better than robots – at first? Take the self-driving car, for example. From your perspective, you may still be driving your own car, but will soon concede that task to a robot. In the future, you can read, use your laptop or do other work in the time previously committed to driving.

From technology’s perspective, Kelly suggests you ask what jobs c) are already performed by technology that cannot be done by workers, and d) what unforeseen jobs might come along because of new technology in the future? Here, an essential component of the self-driving car, the global positioning system (GPS) is already able to provide fresh information to travelers – about traffic conditions, refueling stations, restaurants and other places of interest. In the future, robots may take on more work in rescue efforts or research collection to and from remote places. New jobs might evolve from the servicing of the robot fleet and post-rescue or post-collection follow-up.

In summary, robots are surely affecting your line of work, and will further affect it in the future. Rise of the Robots author Martin Ford is relatively upbeat about robots, but he anticipates gaps in people’s employment as they adjust to the robots’ introduction. Are you prepared for such a gap in your own employment? Has your “reckoning with the robots” gone that far? The above sections invite you to ask what do you know, what can you find out, and how can you adapt to the further use of robots in your own career space?

(Author’s note: You can find my email on my contributor profile, and I will be glad to respond to comments about your own reckoning with robots.)

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