MIT forum examines the rise of automation in the workplace

"Pop culture does a great job of scaring us that AI will take over the world," said Professor Daniela Rus, speaking at a virtual MIT event on Wednesday. But realistically, said Rus, who directs the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), robots aren't going to steal everyone's jobs overnight -- they're not yet good enough at tasks requiring high dexterity or generalized processing of different kinds of information. Still, automation has crept into some workplaces in recent years, a trend that's likely to continue. Throughout the daylong conference, the "AI and the Work of the Future Congress," which convened speakers from academia, industry, and government, one key theme consistently emerged: Task automation shouldn't be viewed as a replacement for human work, but a partner for it. With the exception of some middle-skilled manufacturing jobs, automation has generally improved human productivity, not eliminated the need for it.