enquiries@DRSbonds.co.uk
A NEW AUTOPIA? With the rise of AI and an increasingly automated workforce, what does the future hold for employees?
‘‘
Artificial intelligence will free humans from work. We will be able to move on to a more meaningful existence. Ben Goertzel, Chief Scientist, Hanson Robotics
30
NETWORKS
O
ur world is driven by technology, a sentence with an almost literal meaning when referring to the development of automated smart cars. Most of us have continuous connection to the internet, offering unlimited access to instant information. Meanwhile, developments in medicine, manufacturing and computing are all surging forwards. These great advancements in technology are improving our daily lives. The price for this, however, is our jobs – a huge consideration for businesses, and a huge worry for those who might be replaced. The media has been warning of robots and AI replacing jobs for years, but over the past few months the claxons have been ringing more often. A PwC report issued in 2017 stated that up to 30% of UK jobs were particularly susceptible to being taken by robots by 2030, and the Bank of England has estimated that 15 million jobs may be at risk. Will this lead to reduced working hours for all, and employment with jobs that are less repetitive, or mass unemployment? The answer is in how businesses and governments handle the change. There are already predictions available regarding who will be affected. A 2013 report from Oxford University studied 700 professions, to assess how likely they were to become automated. The professions studied ranged from mental health workers and surgeons (0.3% and 0.4% chance
