Tag: Technology

No one has a damn clue how many jobs will be lost to automation

No one has a damn clue how many jobs will be lost to automation

Democrats tackled several issues on the debate stage Tuesday night that had previously gone untouched. One of those was automation — the idea that robots and technology will replace workers and destroy jobs.

It prompted a confusing discussion about whether automation is actually killing jobs or whether free trade policies are. And it didn’t offer up much of a clear answer.

CNN moderator Erin Burnet cited a study predicting that a quarter of US jobs will be lost from automation, then asked a few of the candidates what they would do to prevent such job losses.Sen. Bernie Sanders said guaranteeing a […]

Elizabeth Warren and Trump agree on trade, and they’re both completely wrong

Elizabeth Warren and Trump agree on trade, and they're both completely wrong

Elizabeth Warren’s policy platform is nothing like Donald Trump’s, but on trade, they’re two sides of the same coin.

Warren and Trump both blame trade for job loss in the U.S., specifically in the manufacturing industry. And they’re wrong.

Automation isn’t the culprit, Warren claimed during tonight’s Democratic primary debate, the outsourcing of jobs is. Trump has been saying the same thing for years. That’s why he supports hefty tariffs and stringent policies that discourage U.S. corporations from looking overseas for cheaper production.All of the evidence, however, points in the other direction. Trade hardly even figures in the equation. Technological advancements […]

Keep up with robotic revolution

Countries like Bangladesh will miss out on developing themselves at a faster rate if they fail to keep up with the changes being created by robotic revolution as it will lead the fourth industrial revolution, experts said yesterday.

Robots will kill lots of traditional jobs and at the same time, they will create more employment opportunities in the connected world, they said.

“Traditionally, Bangladesh is a physical labour-driven economy. Countries like us will fall into big trouble if we fail to cope up with the upcoming automation,” said Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury, deputy education minister.He spoke at a seminar styled “Present and […]

Economic Inequality & Employment

From shifting job categories , the disruption and decimation of industries, and an impending global skills mismatch, to the concentration of extreme wealth, income inequality, and avoidance of corporate taxes, Silicon Valley’s role in furthering economic inequality is hugely important, insufficiently understood, and under-actioned. The role technology plays in changing the conditions and types of employment, as well as reshaping global economics, is not the most publicized problem the industry has weathered, but it will be the next—and it will be the worst. Like other harmful social outcomes in which it is complicit, the tech industry’s mentality, priorities, and […]

World Cotton Day Highlights Global Importance of the Commodity

World Cotton Day Highlights Global Importance of the Commodity

The inaugural World Cotton Day was held at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva last week to showcase the significant global impact that cotton production has on economies of all types. The event also offered an opportunity for industry stakeholders to build relationships and address the types of challenges that cotton producers are facing on an international level. “Cotton is more than just a fibre used to make clothes we all wear. It is more than just a source of edible oil,” said WTO Director-General Robert Azevêdo. “Cotton is a truly global commodity. It is grown in over […]

Workforce Automation Exacerbates The Racial Wealth Gap

Workforce Automation Exacerbates The Racial Wealth Gap

null Getty For generations of workers displacement has been a normal albeit unequal process, now technology is adding another layer to the mix. Workplace automation presents the larger society with a conundrum, as A.I. is set to upend companies, leaving African Americans especially vulnerable. Nearly 4.5 million African Americans in the next 10 years could lose their jobs due to automaton. Is it possible this business impediment will lead to more income inequality and is there anything that can be done about it?

The Breakdown You Need to Know: In a new report from McKinsey focused on the impact […]

Is the city’s workforce prepared for the future?

Is the city's workforce prepared for the future?

New York’s economy is in flux. The past decade has seen a continued decline in manufacturing employment and uncertainty in the retail sector, combined with strong job growth in hospitality, health care , construction and tech . The questions are whether public and private institutions have adjusted to these changes, and whether city residents have the skills that fit the positions the economy is creating.

"The rapidly transforming labor market of the 21st century is making obsolete traditional ways of training and educating," the Center for an Urban Future, a leading think tank, warned in a 2016 report. Of particular […]

Is Artificial Intelligence good?

Is Artificial Intelligence good?

You’ve read it in the papers. You’ve experienced it in life. Machines are taking over.

And they are doing it fast. Siri turned 9 on October 4 (go ahead, ask her if you don’t believe me). Tesla’s first Autopilot program is also 9. And Alexa is less than 5 years old.

Despite the fact that these AI-powered technologies haven’t graduated past their first decade, they seem to be running our lives. And they are apparently doing it better than we can. Just a few weeks ago, research came out explaining that Artificial intelligence was now at par with human experts when […]

Anti-Technology Backlash: What’s Real? What’s Myth?

Anti-Technology Backlash: What’s Real? What’s Myth?

Is the public turning against robots? Are employees who fear for their jobs vandalizing them? Some anti-robot incidents have been reported in recent years: Take hitchBOT, a “hitchhiking robot”: It was fun but it was vandalized in 2015: As you probably know by now, HitchBot—a device made of pool noodles, rubber gloves, a bucket, and the computer power needed to talk, smile, and tweet—was deliberately decapitated and dismembered this week, only 300 miles into its hitchhiking journey across the United States. HitchBot had successfully made similar journeys across the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada, relying on bemused strangers for transportation. […]

Independent candidate feels the system is broken

Independent candidate feels the system is broken

Maria Lewans Swift Current resident and small business owner Maria Lewans is running as an independent candidate in the Cypress Hills-Grasslands federal riding.

She feels that society needs to change profoundly and the political parties in this federal election are not able to implement transformative change.

“We’re digging ourselves deeper into our problems instead of getting out,” she said. “I didn’t think any of the other parties were really addressing the situation. I don’t think re-arranging our taxes, giving tax breaks, filtering money here and there, is going to do anything. Our problems plaguing society are very deep-rooted and we really […]