Category: Automation Impact on Jobs

Tesla boss Elon Musk backs a ‘basic income’ for everyone

Tesla boss Elon Musk backs a ‘basic income’ for everyone

Tesla boss Elon Musk backs a ‘basic income’ for everyone because robots will take away our jobs leaving us without any ‘meaning’ in our lives

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has doubled down on his support of a universal basic income as a possible solution for unemployment caused by the rise of machines equipped with artificial intelligence taking over the workforce.

A universal basic income would give a standard amount of money to every citizen to cover basic expenses like food and living costs each month.At the World Government Summit in Dubai on Monday, Musk told a crowd that universal basic income […]

Driverless trucks: economic tsunami may swallow one of most common US jobs

Driverless trucks: economic tsunami may swallow one of most common US jobs

In April 2016, Uber announced the acquisition of Otto, a San Francisco-based startup that has developed a kit that can turn any big rig into a self-driving truck .

The Otto technology enables complete autonomy on highways: trucks can navigate, stay in their lane, and slow or stop in response to traffic conditions completely without human intervention. Otto’s equipment currently costs about $30,000, but that is certain to fall significantly in the coming years.

Otto is by no means alone. Massive automated vehicles are already commonly used to move materials for the Australian mining industry. Daimler, the German multinational company, has […]

Billionaire entrepreneur says ‘basic income’ will be necessary

Billionaire entrepreneur says ‘basic income’ will be necessary

South African-born billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk says universal basic income will be necessary as robots continue to steal jobs world-wide.

While speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai this week, Mr Musk said there will be fewer and fewer jobs that a robot cannot do better.

He also noted that humans might struggle to emotionally cope with the influx of job-stealing robots.The universal basic income, which the billionaire is pushing for, would cover expenses such as good and living costs.Mr Musk is sceptical about the inclusion of the UBI though, saying that he’s concerned about people’s sense of […]

The résumé is dead: your next click might determine your next job

The résumé is dead: your next click might determine your next job

The rise of ever more intelligent machines is prompting much speculation about the future of work and a clear separation of views is becoming apparent. Some claim that automation is likely to lead to job losses and that we should prepare for that. Others argue that the new technologies will create as many jobs as they destroy: after all, that is what has happened in the past.

Those – like Donald Trump – who argue they can “bring back the jobs” presume a return, or reinvention, of an almost mythical past where manufacturing dominated the economy and the big firms […]

Automation may lead to huge job loss

Studies about what cataclysmic changes automation will bring about in all fields of human activity in the near future should engage the attention of governments, decision makers, leaders and even ordinary people. The possible scenarios being projected may look like science fiction. But the trends which are seen now and their fast pace indicate that there may be more reality than imagination in the accounts.

Automation in this context means the use of robotics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data manipulation to improve productivity and efficiency. It is set to bring about a revolution in the economy, mainly with […]

AI: Boon to business, bane to low-skilled workers

AI: Boon to business, bane to low-skilled workers

VIDEO CONFERENCE ON TECH VISION. JP Palpallatoc, Accenture PH digital lead, discusses his company’s technology vision for 2017 in a video conference with Cebu’s business reporters held at Accenture’s office in I.T. Park, Barangay Apas, Cebu City. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA) As artificial intelligence (AI) moves to the forefront of business operations in the Philippines, the workforce needs to learn more complex skills to cushion the risk of losing jobs to automation.

JP Palpallatoc, Accenture Philippines digital lead, said that with the rise of AI comes the risk of employment reduction, especially among those with lower-level skills.

“We need to move those […]

What happens when robots take our jobs?

What happens when robots take our jobs?

Technologies such as big data , advanced analytics, the Internet of things , wearables, advanced robotics, learning machines and 3D printing are finding their way into factories.

Despite the sluggishness of change on today’s factory floors, this digital wave is slowly but surely revolutionizing manufacturing , contributing to major productivity enhancements and the emergence of innovative production paradigms that deliver more tailored and efficient solutions.

Needless to say, this transformation has profound implications for manufacturing employment, affecting everything from the size of the workforce, to the skillsets required and the locations of factories. Will this fourth Industrial Revolution lead to a […]

The Trade Red Herring

Trade policy is a hot button political issue, and it’s also one of the biggest distractions. It’s often said that politics makes strange bedfellows. Both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump believe that U.S. trade policy is largely to blame for the hollowing out of high paying, working class jobs. However, the data suggests otherwise.

Let me acknowledge at the outset that I have a vested economic interest in supporting free trade (I am, however, genuinely supportive of it but do recognize that there are also costs to free trade which trade policy should address). My skateboard and skate apparel business, […]

Elon Musk: Automation Will Force Governments to Introduce Universal Basic Income

Elon Musk: Automation Will Force Governments to Introduce Universal Basic Income

Elon Musk believes artificial intelligence that is much smarter than the smartest human on Earth could result in dangerous situations.

Musk argues that the government must introduce a universal basic income program in order to compensate for automation.

Recently, Elon Musk had the chance to share his thoughts on universal basic income (UBI) at the World Government Summit in Dubai. At the Summit, Musk had the opportunity to talk about the future , and the challenges the world will face in the next hundred years – including artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and the job displacement expected to come with […]

It’s Not Automation, It’s the Trade Deficit

It’s Not Automation, It’s the Trade Deficit

This kid is clearly skeptical of robots. But don’t blame them — or automation — for manufacturing job loss in the United States. | Photo by John Martin A common refrain in economic commentary on the nature of work, and the changes in manufacturing employment, is basically:

“Trade didn’t take those jobs. It was robots. The robots did it!”

Okay, maybe it’s not the terminators who are doing it. Rather, it’s industrial automation: We make more stuff with less people, because manufacturing is now performed by automated processes. This idea is breezily inserted into all kinds of articles, including ones with […]