Working with Robots: Human and Machine Coexistence in the Workforce

The pervasive fear that artificial intelligence (AI) will take over human economic livelihood has been felt in places like the manufacturing sector, as large swaths of the industry automate labor formerly done by humans. However, proponents of machine learning say ultimately AI and robotics will improve the way we do virtually everything, and ultimately create new jobs. Still, nearly 40 percent of U.S. jobs were slated as a "high risk" for automation by the early 2030s in a March 2017 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). While the PwC report acknowledges it's unlikely all those jobs will be automated for "a variety of economic, legal, and regulatory reasons," PwC also acknowledges that new tech typically means the creation of new jobs for human workers as well, conceding "the net impact of automation on total employment is therefore unclear." Many technologists purport that the new job creation will offset some of the pain of displacement; retraining programs and continuing education opportunities are key to bringing in displaced workers into the new high-tech fold.