We’ve all seen movies like Terminator, AI or I, Robot. It is safe to say that robots will play bigger and bigger parts in our life in the future. Some might argue already there with the arrival of Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri being able to control things like room lighting, temperature, and even check your fridge to ensure it is well stocked. Robots are making an impact in the workplace too. With robots becoming ever more intelligent and automation driving down costs, could your boss be looking to replace you with a robot?
The Construction Industry
Looking at Construction industry statistics, it is clear that this is an area of global growth. While some tasks are already becoming automated, like construction site security, others will remain firmly in the hands of humans. Safety is always a priority when constructing any new structure. While robots might conduct rigorous tests, those tests and their results will most likely still need to be set, examined, and cross-checked by humans. Architecture is another area where humans will still likely be in control. According to Arch Daily, a University of Oxford study in 2013 ranked 700 jobs in their likelihood to be replaced by automation. The architecture was one of the lowest, with a likely replacement rate of only 1.8%
Transportation
Driverless vehicles are being piloted worldwide at the moment, so human drivers may well find themselves out of a job soon. But not immediately, some driverless buses still have to have a driver for safety reasons. Alongside this, while jobs like transport drivers might become replaced, any driverless network will still need humans to monitor safety and navigate more complex situations, even if they are doing this remotely.
Healthcare
Well, we all need doctors, right? They have to handle complicated cases and make a diagnosis based on years of knowledge and experience. Surely, they won’t be replaced by robots. Well, you might be wrong there. A study from the University of California published in Nature Medicine in 2019 showed that AI software could diagnose patients just as accurately as a human doctor. But doctors need not fear just yet. Human empathy is still a considerable factor in healthcare, and that all-important human touch in a time of need won’t be replaced just yet.
Finance
According to Easier.Com, back in 2017, Goldman Sach’s announced it was sacking 600 of its traders so they could employ new computer engineers responsible for developing automated trading software. This might mean that the future of robotic stock trading is already here. But according to Wall-Street.com, the pace of change in the stock markets compared to the speed it takes to update algorithms means that humans will always be relevant in the world of finance.
While a robotic future may be just around the corner in your industry, it doesn’t mean humans will always lose out. While some jobs may be taken over by automation, they will also create many new opportunities for careers at the cutting edge of your chosen field.
