You may have heard about this or not, but in May of 2018, a robot bartender by the name of Tipsy sent the culinary industry in Sin City into a frenzy. One server had this to say about Tispy; ‘’this robot has just replaced hundreds of bartenders. All you have to do is walk up to Tispy, tell it what drink to make, and it will do a little shakey-shakey shake spectacle, which is all fun and games until a server loses his or her job at the end of the month’’.
These are sweeping sentiments in many businesses and industries. The fear that robots and automation in general will take over human jobs is real. The overall consensus as to whether AI will replace jobs wholesale remains mixed.
Those that are pro-robots believe that just as things were with the Industrial and Agricultural revolution, the technological improvements that come with the boom of AI and its offshoot in robotics is a natural progression that will create more new jobs than it will replace or destroy.
Right now, companies are still reliant on human labor because humans have inherent capabilities such as sympathy, empathy, love, respect, which has been a real barrier to robots up until this point. When robots can interact and carry out the sorts of tasks that only humans can, that’s when human jobs are going to be displaced.
But even the best AI books will tell you that we are still a long way from complete robot takeover; it might not even happen in our lifetimes. Although they are effective (more effective than human beings at certain tasks), robot systems and AI in general still remain brittle and incapable of handling exceptions past a particular range.
In the future, jobs simply won’t disappear because of AI. Instead, they will merely be redefined. Whether we acknowledge it or not, AI has already changed so many fields and careers. Trying to avoid it is inevitable because the rewards AI technology offers are just too great.
For now, we haven’t seen the full capabilities of AI- we are still seeing a few glimmers of smart automation but nothing even remotely close to true AI. Not convinced? Let’s take a deeper dive into these examples of AI already in use across multiple industries. Here are jobs that will require AI knowledge sooner than you think:
Cleaning and tidying
Robotic cleaners and vacuums have been around for a while now but they’ve become more mainstream in the last 10 years or so because of increased availability and accessibility. As times has progressed, so has the growth of these robotic cleaners.
Before the devices tended to be too clunky, they would irritatingly bang against the wall and they would have little to no discernable logic behind their cleaning routines, which would cause them to get stuck- virtually rendering them pointless.
Fortunately, robotic cleaners are slicker, faster, and more intelligent now thanks in no small part, to the billions that have been invested towards research and development. These cleaners have seen significant improvements.
For instance, automated floor scrubbers are more precise when it comes to mapping their cleaning routes thus making them a lot more efficient. obstacle recognition is still to be perfected but the future looks bright and promising.
Pharmacists
In the next few years, robots could completely take over the task of filling up your prescription. There are already medical centers that are using robots to electronically receive orders, package, and even dispense the individual doses of medicine.
So far, the machines have been able to assemble over 350,000 doses of medication error-free. Nurses will soon start using barcode readers to scan their patients’ medication before dispensing correct doses of medication to the patient.
The automated systems are already being used to compound sterile preparations of chemotherapy as well as fill IV syringes with the necessary medications so that nurses can focus on more entailing tasks.
Layers and paralegals
Rather than pay a pricey lawyer or a whole team of paralegals to review your important documents, you might have to entrust that job to software. AI software can scan documents in half the time that it would take humans for a fraction of the costs.
Not only does this ensure efficiency but it brings down operating costs significantly. Plus, human paralegals and lawyers, get bored, tired, and even develop headaches owing to the extent of the work that they have to do- robots just work sans migraines.
Astronauts
NASA’s Robonaut 2 is the latest example of AI at work in the field, equipped with a selection of sensors and flexible five-fingered hands, Robonaut can is designed to sort out menial jobs in the space station such as cleaning and organizing as well as assist astronaut’s in an array of space operations. In the next few years, Robonaut could one day venture outside the space station to assist spacewalkers to complete repairs or perform routine maintenance tasks.
Search and rescue
Robots can be utilized to access hard to reach spots and provide critical assistance for rescuing victims in emergencies or natural disasters. For instance, snakelike robots can be used to enter tight spaces.
These snake-like robots are embedded with cameras that help to survey any signs of life in collapsed buildings. Currently, drones are used for aerial inspections to locate aerial components and determine the state of bridges and pipelines.
Final Thoughts
The robots are coming for your jobs. It is estimated that in the future (way into the future) AI will replace 50% of human jobs. And there is no way that genie can be put back into the bottle. AI is growing and thriving, whether we like it or not.
It is already being used in numerous applications and whether we realize or not, we are surrounded by AI as it has been playing a role in our lives for quite some time now. Don’t believe it?
Every time you look at your Facebook newsfeed, search something on Google, buy a product that was recommended to you by Amazon or book your next vacation online, AI is there, lurking in the background of everything that you do.
‘Contributed Post’
