Eric McCarter remembers the first time he operated a forklift truck in France--while sitting behind a desk in California. McCarter used the forklift to move a stack of pallets into a waiting truck using a setup resembling a video gaming rig. He sat behind a steering wheel and pedals that transmitted commands to the forklift thousands of miles away; large screens offered views in front, behind, and to the sides of the vehicle. The vehicle relies on limited artificial intelligence to avoid obstacles and safely come to a stop if the connection between France and the US were to fail. But the AI isn't yet clever enough to let the robotic forklift navigate on its own through an unfamiliar warehouse or take on a new task.

The rise of the machines could leave a third of the population out of work. That's according to Dr Subhash Kak, a computing expert at Oklahoma University, who claims AI and self-driving cars will lead to mass unemployment. He also warns that as robots take control of the world, humans will slip into a life of'meaningless' misery. A report in November suggested that physical jobs in predictable environments – including machine-operators and fast-food worker – are the most likely to be replaced by robots. But it added: 'Collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines.

As the capabilities of robots and AI continues to grow, a leading scientist has warned that the machine takeover will lead mankind into a'hellish dystopia'. Dr Subhash Kak, a computing expert at Oklahoma University, says employment provides people with a sense of self-worth and value. He believes this self-worth will be lost as robots take control, leading humans into a life of'meaningless' misery. He claims the US opioid addiction and the rise of extremist groups are an early omen of a dystopian future. As our world becomes more and more technology-driven, robots could replace workers in a huge number of jobs, which could lead to a dystopian future where human life in'meaningless, a leading scientist says (stock image) A report in November suggested that physical jobs in predictable environments – including machine-operators and fast-food worker – are the most likely to be replaced by robots.

As our world becomes more and more technology-driven, robots could replace workers in a huge number of jobs, a new report has warned. The report claims that as many as 800 million workers could be replaced by machines in just 13 years. Jobs most likely to be taken include fast-food workers and machine-operators, while gardeners, plumbers and childcare workers are the least likely to be replaced by bots, according to the report. In terms of jobs, the report suggests that physical jobs in predictable environments – including machine-operators and fast-food worker – are the most likely to be replaced by robots. But it added: 'Collecting and processing data are two other categories of activities that increasingly can be done better and faster with machines.