Will Robots Take Our Jobs? | Freethink Wrong

Since the dawn of the industrial revolution, fear of automation has been on the rise. From weaving machines to cars to computers, cries about robots coming to take our jobs keep getting louder. But if the robots are taking our jobs—and they are!—then why do there seem to be even more jobs than ever?

In this Freethink Wrong documentary, we look at how the rise of automation has lead to fear that robots will take our jobs, destroy the economy, or lead to mass unemployment. What do you think? Will innovation save us again? Or is AI and machine learning a whole new ballgame? What is the future of work - do we need a universal basic income, or is that bad economics? Let us know what you think the future of work holds in the comments and subscribe for more videos from Freethink. We're a different kind of news channel telling the stories from the frontiers of technological and social innovation. It's like VICE meets a ted talk.

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CORRECTION: The number of bank tellers has doubled from roughly 250,000 to 500,000, not million as text in the video reads.

[andrewbernal]

You seriously misunderstand how AI works and how it is different from all other past jobs.
Simply saying, "other innovations in the past have created more jobs, this will too! :)" does not address the problem of what can we do that robots can't? You have to at least concede that there will be a mass unemployment as a result of this.

[oneoveralpha]

Fear the future, or embrace the future, it will happen regardless and be different than anything we can imagine.

[acrousi]

The whole thing that humans will make new jobs out of this is ridiculous, because whatever robots with the same exact intelligence of a human being or higher can replicate whatever a human can do, while if they cannot, they can be made to do that specific thing. Employers will most likely use robots due to the fact that they can work indefinitely until needed maintenance, which then a specific robot may do that assigned purpose.

[conanbarbarian]

Yes, iti is different this time. THe question is no longer what magical jobs will pop up out of automation, but who, when automation inevitably makes more sense than human labor, will decide how it is used. The public? the government? or, most likely the corporations who own it, who will have the ability to create an infinite lineup of machines to replace humans if they refuse to accept the wages they are offered, or replace us altogether and take control of the society they already have substantial influence over.

There is a huge difference between AI and machines versatile enough to take over the majority of human occupations and a sucking printing press.

[leovandenheuvel]

If you really think about this, it will only improve your living conditions and life quality. When you don't need to do the work, you have time to actually enjoy your life instead of working in an office building

[TheHuskr]

The difference is simple mechanical machines replaced hard labor jobs which freed up humans to specialize in intellectual work. AI is a machine but for the intellectual work which means humans have no where to go. Although as others have pointed out this may not be a problem if handled correctly.

[crazyobservations]

The problem now is that automation is poised to replace any and all jobs. What happens when automation displaces millions or billions of jobs all in a decade or so. You should be worried.

[streetrage]

Freethink leads you to believe that they're unbiased, but they are very biased indeed. Giving you only a fraction of the story but leaving put key elements that would prove detrimental to their standpoint.

[Kneephry]

This time is different. AI has the potential not only to do a few limited tasks better than a human does (like the machine inventions of the past) it has the potential to do everything better than any human does.

[williamjanak]

When other machines to do work came in to being they took physical jobs. Now with ever growing computing power and the ways to use it THINKING jobs are going to be replaced. Also with ever improving 3D graphics if you are teleconferencing with someone you might not know its a program and not a human. When you get right down to it there are people that just don't want/not able to do the HIGHLY Skilled jobs that will be open to people in the decades to come. Work will some day become a luxury.

[bobthedj]

What you say is true and there will always be new jobs but they rarely ever require the same skills, just look at the value of a uni degree in the 1960s vs today, fresh graduates are consistently struggling to find work when they used to be able to go straight into the work of their degree.

I'm kind of on the fence with this issue tbh

[TheBastered]

what is wrong is not working aside with the robotic, remember this, they are your hands and they are there to help. Placing an AI core as personality can be easy to deal with just throw tons magnets all over the building and the AI can't predict where to go to because they are stuck in a high magnetized building. To the extra advantages to man, we can cut off their power supply, the higher electric require the harder they have to operate to come such. Then yet again AI can be smart switch battery, but still can easily locate depending how much battery is being burnt out and they require oil and keeping themselves not to be rusted. Don't give the machine higher advantages then man, only give certain ability it poses to do. Let me label that as my Golden Rules

1 of many Golden Rules
- Don't give the machine higher advantages then man, only give certain ability to possess certain role pose to do.

[stephaniem.]

I'm not exactly thrilled about the idea that automation will take over many jobs but having said that we shouldn't fear or embrace it. Instead we should be skeptical, cautious in using automation to excess (checkouts for example), and the rise in automation itself should be slow and steady. I've heard about the supplimental income and it sounds no different from most government programs. If automation takes over and we resort to this supplimental income what's going to happen to the public schools and colleges? Basic and higher education could become worthless if automation takes over. We would be stuck without a job and holding a degree and no one to hire us. To me that's scary.

[jeremiahmyers]

No need to worry. In the future, we will all be gainfully employed selling health supplements on Facebook

[andrewm]

There doesn't seem to be anything particularly special of humans that cant be done by or will not be done by robots. The past didn't have AI.

[olixx]

Great Video! Really makes you think. Certainly there is a trend that less employees are needed to produce the same amount of products. Yet at the same time the economy keeps growing and people keep consuming more and more. Since population growth seems to stagnate (as discussed in another video) it seems that the jobs taken by automation can be balanced by an increasing industry. At least for a while...

[Uneke]

There is a big difference between a piece of technology that can do one thing (assembly line) where workers were needed on the assembly line and a piece of technology that can do everything (AI) where nothing is needed afterwards.
If a computer can design, implement that design, tell another computer to build it, then tell a computer to pack and ship it, then tell a drone to deliver it, a computer unlocks your door and sends payment. That is literally the entire process of commerce covered by computers.

[dance]

we shouldn't be to worried but on the flip side we should be worried about the future

[Thatfuckingduck]

It is different this time. A.I can soon do EVERYTHING better than humans. That means the new jobs too

[NexusGaming]

I mean, someone's gotta fix, repair, and maintain the robots - So you got jobs right there for mechanics/technologists