The Future Of Technology: Can Robots Replace Humans

According to a report (March 2017 report on automation in the workplace by PricewaterhouseCoopers), 30 percent jobs in the UK, 35 percent jobs in Germany and 21 percent jobs in Japan are at the risk of being replaced by robots by 2030s. Robots are not taking over humans or replacing them, but they are taking their jobs. They are taking over 52 percent of the job opportunities.

The Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) predicts that nearly 30 percent jobs have been taken by robots and until 2030s, it will reach approx. 55 percent. The WEF report said: “About half of today’s core jobs — making up the bulk of employment across industries — will remain stable in the period up to 2022. Within the set of companies surveyed, representing over 15 million workers in total, current estimates would suggest a decline of 0.98 million jobs and a gain of 1.74 million jobs.”

Robots are affecting the labor market. This automation will soon be joined by Artificial Intelligence. It is stated by International Data Corporation that no job is safe.

Robots are not all bad, they help in manufacturing, labor work and even operating computers. Humans are prone to errors but robots are not. They do not make mistakes. They perform with a hundred percent accuracy. Artificial intelligence is much smarter than humans but still, they are not better than humans.

Robots certainly can work with them but they can’t overpower them. There are many reasons because of which robots cannot replace humans. One of the most important reasons is, that they cannot understand rational thought. They work on logic, but no matter how much we like to think that we do not mix logic and emotions, we do it all the time. Let’s take the example of chatbots which are programmed to answer questions according to a pre-programmed set of rules. But people engaging in conversations on chatbots want human opinion and understanding, not stone cold logic.

Robots cannot understand interpersonal communication. For example, if someone has a foreign friend, that someone knows that something would be lost in translations. Some understand what is being said, while some don’t. But robots cannot because they know language, not culture.

Robots don’t understand customer service. AI provides with direct and easy answers, but it does not understand how the solution will affect future relationships with customers.

“Human interaction is irreplaceable when providing superior customer service,” said Jacob Munns, CEO, Boom sourcing. “It is interesting to note that, amidst monumental development in artificial intelligence, customers and potential customers still expect exceptional communication from the brands they interact with. Real human contact from customer service teams is becoming one of the leading differentiators in a competitive landscape. It is also a prime indicator of customer acquisition and retention long term. The future is about fusing humans with technology… not just technology. Humans should be the DNA behind the technology we depend on, or we will lose the connections we seek.”

Robots lack creative imagination. They can do the same work again and again because they are programmed like that. But humans cannot work like that. It’s in human nature that they want to do new and better things while robots lack this motivation.

Most important of all, it doesn’t matter how much we like AI and how much it makes our lives easier, we still depend upon humans. Man is a social animal and he cannot survive to live with a robot. we want to talk and interact with humans because they understand us. Robots are far from understanding how a human thinks.

Even with all these things in which robots cannot replace humans, they do outsmart, outdo and outrun us in the world of technology and intelligence. We can profit from them in manufacturing industries, as they have speed and accuracy we humans lack. They are good at producing massive amounts of products in a very short time. They can also work in warehouses, storage yards, and job sites.

Even healthcare departments like hospitals and medical wards have been using robots for decades. One of the most popular robots in the healthcare field is the da Vinci Surgical System. Additional machines are available to automate the process of drawing and collecting blood samples, assist with hospice duties and facilitate services in telemedicine.

Most visible of all the aspects is, that they can handle hazardous radioactive and chemically unstable compounds while it can be fatally dangerous to humans even if they wear biohazard suits because the human body cannot tolerate radiations while robots have no such restrictions.

To conclude, it is a fact that automation cannot be stopped but its effects can be minimized. Bill Gates said that robots can be taxed so the money received from it can be given to displaced workers, and also can be spent in their retraining so that they could work in other sectors like education, healthcare etc.