The robots will steal our jobs, but we’ll be busy enjoying ourselves
NEW research suggests a silent robot revolution will affect every job by 2030 — and we will be twice as happy as we are today as a result.
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THE robots are coming — and experts are predicting they will be giving us more time to enjoy ourselves rather than stealing our jobs.
New research suggests a silent robot revolution will affect every job by 2030 — and we will be twice as happy as we are today as a result.
Dr Andrew Charlton, co-founder of economic strategy company AlphaBeta, said the increase in automation could boost the NSW economy by a whopping $580 billion if we embrace the machines: “This significant economic opportunity will not land in our lap. NSW has to be bold enough to lead changes — both embracing technology, and ensuring people can move into new job.”
Countless TV shows and movies have tried to predict the future and thankfully it seems things will be more Rosie the robot from The Jetsons than Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator. The research says that by 2030 the average worker in NSW will spend two hours and 10 minutes less on routine tasks, instead putting that time into creative jobs.
AI and robots threaten two in five jobs
Technology is already in place for driverless vehicles, intelligent street-lighting, smart bins that tell you when they are full and facial recognition from CCTV to let restaurants know if customers are having a good time.
But Dr Charlton said that for NSW to capitalise on the opportunity offered by increased automation we will need to teach young people correctly. “We need to make sure our education and training system is preparing young people for the skills we know will be needed in 2030,” he said.
TAFE managing director Jon Black said his organisation was already training students for nine out of the 10 jobs predicted to be most in demand in 2020, adding it was the “the real engine room for the jobs of the future”.
Deputy Premier and NSW Skills minister John Barilaro said TAFE was delivering “the skilled workforce we need to support the economy and jobs of tomorrow. “We don’t even know what jobs will be emerging ... What matters is that we are agile, working with industry, and providing opportunities for people to skill-up in those emerging sectors,” he said.
Australian Research Council future fellow Rafael Calvo said artificial intelligence was already in our lives and the key was to provide research explaining exactly how it impacts us.
“In the same way we now know that artificial food colouring is bad for our kids, so we need to understand the negative impacts any piece of software can impact our lives.”