The question is no longer whether AI will change the workplace; it’s how companies can successfully use it in ways that enable - not replace - the human workforce. AI will not eliminate us from the workforce, but it will help to make humans faster, more efficient and more productive.

If we didn't have enough to worry about--Covid-19, a nation divided, massive job losses and civil unrest--now we have to be concerned that robots will take our jobs. The World Economic Forum (WEF) concluded in a recent report that "a new generation of smart machines, fueled by rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, could potentially replace a large proportion of existing human jobs." Robotics and AI will cause a serious "double-disruption," as the coronavirus pandemic pushed companies to fast-track the deployment of new technologies to slash costs, enhance productivity and be less reliant on real-life people. Millions of people have lost their jobs due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and now the machines will take away even more jobs from workers, according to the WEF. The organization cites that automation will supplant about 85 million jobs by 2025.

The Labor Department reported Friday unemployment fell to 10.2% as the economy added 1.8 million jobs, fewer than the number added in the two preceding months likely due to an upsurges in coronavirus cases. The Bureau of Labor statistics credited an improving economy as pandemic restrictions were eased. It was the lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic induced a recession in February. The Labor Department, however, admitted data collection may be flawed because of its classification methods, and some people marked as on temporary layoff should be classified as unemployed. The misclassification for June and July was believed smaller than those for previous months.

Imagine what would happen if all 55,000 of America's hard-working coal miners were laid off tomorrow. The American workforce would suffer a tragic blow. Wall-to-wall 24-hour news coverage would ensue. Whole swaths of the American Southeast would be economically devasted. Now imagine something even worse -- 3.5 million people being laid off.

A significant number of jobs could be completed by robots as early as 2030, according to a new report published Tuesday by the McKinsey Global Institute. The transition into a heavily automated workplace wouldn't arrive right away, but it may affect up to 375 million workers globally. The workforce has already begun to accommodate technological advancements, with robotics being no exception to this. Statistics have proven the potential benefits to automated workers, including its positive effects on the global economy. McKinsey suggested that physical laborers are most at risk of losing their positions with the rise of automation, which includes food preppers and machine operators, among other similar workers.

With technological advancement taking over human jobs every single year, it's only a matter of time before they take over larger sectors of jobs that humans are used to occupying. Just look at the assembly lines in car factories. They're full of robotic arms assembling all the pieces that we used to put together. Now there are people observing the machines so they don't break down. By 2020, just a few short years away, artificial intelligence and robots could replace 5 million jobs. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has warned that humanity is moving into what they call the "fourth industrial revolution."