Asher Sisneros
September 9, 2022
Over the past two decades, robotics and AI taking over the American workforce has been a highly debated topic. For every pro the optimist brings up, the Ai pessimist has an equally persuasive negative. It seems like a never ending debate between each side.
The Ai optimists argue robotics has and will continue to improve human efficiency. Now, instead of having to wait weeks for the inefficient postal service to deliver a message, you can call someone else across the globe immediately. Machines have improved all industries and the advancement of machines will have a positive impact on the future. Wages are going up because of machines and while there becomes less need for factory workers, other white-collar jobs such as computer programming are now available. Because of technology, we have increased surgical precision and health has increased. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, prices for televisions are 99.17% lower in 2022 versus 1950 and the quality has improved. This is because of technology improving manufacturing. Efficient space and ocean exploration are becoming feasible. Because of technological advancements, our parents’ science fiction will be our children’s reality.
On the other side of the spectrum, you have the Ai pessimist who points out that machines can program themselves. They argue that what may be a “stable” job now may become completely redundant in ten years. Wages may go up, but so is unemployment. The division between wealthy elites and Walmart shelf stockers is becoming larger, and the middle class is becoming a memory. Weapons are more deadly than ever. Entire ecosystems destroyed. Just look at Agent Orange in Vietnam, the drones in Afghanistan or Boston Dynamics’ Atlas and Ghost Robotics’ gunned dog. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Terminator will soon be actuality. Indeed, our parents’ science fiction will be our children’s reality.
While both sides go back and forth on the subject, I believe it is a useless debate. The pessimist and optimists will always quarrel. Ultimately, there will always be optimists advancing technology. According to Moore’s law, the number of transistors on a circuit would double every year. His law expired in 2020, but it only applied to Silicon. In the future, someone will find a replacement for Silicon. Technology will continue advancing. The discussion shouldn’t be whether there will be change, or the positives and negatives, but to identify how you can use the knowledge of where we’re heading to help you succeed. Robotics are our future. He who hesitates to act will be left behind.
Asher Sisneros 