Author: automata

Will your job be automated? Nearly half in Idaho will be in the next 20 years

Will your job be automated? Nearly half in Idaho will be in the next 20 years

The robots haven’t taken over — yet.

Technology already is changing work force and how jobs are done throughout industries. The state may be a long way out from life as portrayed on “The Jetsons,” but one study projects that many jobs are at high risk of becoming mostly automated in the next 10 to 20 years.

Automation isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. Clear Springs Foods in Buhl has found that machines can help employees.“It’s really made people’s jobs easier,” spokeswoman Callie Grindstaff said. “We’re really trying to inform people that manufacturing is way different than it used to be.”Machines […]

Finland Introduces Basic Income for Unemployed

Wednesday, 28 December 2016 Finland is to introduce a basic income for some citizens from next month, becoming the first country to adopt the policy.

Two thousand unemployed people will be given €560 ($600) every month for two years, without any restrictions or conditions attached. Leaders hope the move will improve life quality, reduce unemployment and create jobs.

Recipients will not need to prove they are looking for work and the money will be given regardless of any other income the person earns. The Finnish government is planning to study whether the policy helps recipients find […]

How will robotics propel our economy?

How will robotics propel our economy?

Today’s reality is beginning to look a lot like the realm of sci-fi movies.

We may not have flying automobiles (yet), but driverless cars are already roaming beyond the streets of Silicon Valley. Airborne drones help farmers increase yields and reduce crop damage, and warehouse robots are the workhorses of the most efficient e-commerce distribution channels. Automation is changing the way we do business, the way we work and the way we live.

Technology has always been an essential driver of human progress, enhancing quality of life on an individual level and economic productivity for our society as a whole. The […]

Universal Basic Income (A Response to Josh Barro)

It was interesting to see Josh Barro let the election of Donald Trump help him make up his mind against universal basic income. In my case, even the prospect of a Trump presidency was making it clear to me how important the UBI is as a policy. So I thought I’d quickly jot down some reactions to Barro’s piece.

First, like Barro, I think the strength of the UBI is the way it unites Left and Right. It "has become subject of fascination for policy wonks across the ideological spectrum because of the goals it intends to serve: decoupling subsistence […]

Finland to test ‘universal basic income’ for the unemployed

Finland to test 'universal basic income' for the unemployed

Starting in January, 2,000 unemployed people in Finland will begin receiving 560 euros ($585) every month from the state with no strings attached.

The new scheme, which will make Finland the first country in the world to test a universal basic income at the national level, will be managed by Finland’s Social Insurance Institution, known as Kela.

"We think that this could be a big incentive for people to take on at least part-time work," said Marjukka Turunen, head of Kela’s legal affairs unit. Better off in work Recipients will not pay tax on the basic income, even if they find […]

Would a ‘No Frills’ Universal Basic Income Program Solve Global Inequalities?

Erik Olin Wright – UNESCO
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What should we do when robots take most jobs? (It will happen sooner than think.) Robert Reich explains why a universal basic income may be the answer. ( Inequality Media )

As a hectic year is coming to an end, one concept, the universal basic income (UBI), is spreading and becoming front and center in the public discussion. What if this idea, suggesting a flat income given to every citizen regardless of employment or social status, was part of the solution to today’s inequalities?The idea of an unconditional basic income (UBI) […]

Finland to test ‘universal basic income’ for the unemployed

Finland to test ‘universal basic income’ for the unemployed

Starting in January, 2,000 unemployed people in Finland will begin receiving 560 euros every month from the state with no strings attached. The new scheme, which will make Finland the first country in the world to test a universal basic income at the national level, will be managed by Finland’s Social Insurance Institution, known as Kela. “We think that this could be a big incentive for people to take on at least part-time work,” said Marjukka Turunen, head of Kela’s legal affairs unit. Better off in work Recipients will not pay tax on the basic income, even if they […]

How Robots, Automation Will Impact Employment in the U.S.

How Robots, Automation Will Impact Employment in the U.S.

Thirty of the world’s top scientists are scheduled to meet at the University of California at San Diego in February to discuss the toughest challenges in robotics and automation.

Henrik Christensen, director of the Contextual Robotics Institute at UC San Diego, discusses the impacts of robots in the workplace. (K.C. Alfred/San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS)

(TNS) — Thirty of the world’s top scientists are scheduled to meet at the University of California at San Diego in February to discuss the toughest challenges in robotics and automation, including how to make driverless cars safe for a mass audience.The experts are being brought together […]

‘Why Are We Doing This to Ourselves?’ Readers Respond to the Threat of Automation

‘Why Are We Doing This to Ourselves?’ Readers Respond to the Threat of Automation

How do we deal with the job losses caused by automation? Offer a universal basic income? Halt the march of technology? Shorten the workweek? Get more education — or a different kind of it? Raise the minimum wage — or lower it?

Get used to these questions.

Readers had a lot to say in response to an article about what many economists believe is a crisis of our times: how to support the people who are out of work because their jobs have been or will soon be automated. It is a bigger long-term cause of job loss than trade, offshoring […]

Will 2017 be the turning point for robots and jobs?

Will 2017 be the turning point for robots and jobs?

Can Donald Trump prevent robots from taking over our jobs? Evan Vucci / AP Photo A new year generally starts off a bit like a shooting star, trailing a dazzling series of predictions, some of which are more likely to come true than others. So too with 2017. Some of the most powerful prophecies for the year involve technology and innovation, their effect on jobs and the need for political solutions to manage transition.

What is tomorrow’s world expected to look like? Different, certainly. Economists say there will be many more driverless vehicles on the roads (both cars and lorries), […]