The technological progress over the last few decades has been amazing by any measure and it might not have been possible without internet. Thus, it could be said internet was arguably the most disruptive technology of the 20th century. One of the technologies that may define the 21st century is robots though mankind has been dreaming about robotic culture for quite a time if popular culture is any indication. There is hardly a group of artists that has not tried to paint a picture of the future involving robots whether cartoonists, animators, painters, and writers.
Many among us have fond memories of watching TV shows and movies such as Star Trek, Star Wars, and The Jetsons that envisioned a future with robots, often in glamorous manner. The actual impact of widespread adoption of robots in the future may be quite similar to the internet. Just like internet, robotic technologies may affect almost every aspect of our personal and professional lives and similarly, robotic technologies will have both benefits and costs though the benefits may most likely exceed the costs.
Like internet and globalization, robotic revolution will make some jobs less secure and may even create entirely new jobs that do not exist yet. Businesses continue to seek improvements in operating and manufacturing efficiency in order to enhance their profitability. Thus, robots will replace even a greater proportion of jobs that are repetitive in nature, can be automated, and/or mostly involve physical labor. Jobs expected to be widely replaced by robots include manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare (Algar, 2014). Unlike human resources, robotic technologies offer several benefits. First of all, humans cannot compete with robots when it comes to speed and quality. Second, it is not possible to achieve economies of scale when human resources are involved the way it is possible to achieve with robotic technologies which explains why robots have long been a presence in certain industries such as the automobile industry.
Some experts advise students to focus more on careers where human interaction will continue to be important (Algar, 2014) or where tasks such as thinking, creativity, innovating, and problem-solving are often required. The encouraging news is that new technologies have been net creator of jobs historically (Smith & Anderson, 2014). Anyway, today’s academic institutions should keep these expected changes in mind when preparing students for the future.
Robotic technologies may also significantly alter the way we travel. The glimpse of future robotic travel can already be seen in experiments being conducted by technology giants such as Google which is often in the news for self-driving Google car. This means not only we will travel in self-driving vehicles but such vehicles will also be safer and less prone to accidents (Bell, 2014). The idea of self-driving vehicles has flourished for decades but existing technologies have made it easier for us to understand how self-driving cars may work. There are already cars in the market that come equipped with different types of sensors performing diverse range of functions such as alerting drivers if they may be feeling sleepy, departing from a lane, and/or in danger of a collision. The future robotic vehicles will be increasingly capable of performing functions that currently require human intervention.
Robotic technologies are also expected to transform our education systems. Robots may, especially, be helpful in addressing the issue of overcrowded schools where it becomes quite difficult for teachers to give attention to individual students. Robots may enable teachers to be present in more than one places at a time (Dickey, 2013). Columbus, Ohio-based Nexus Academy is already showing some of the potential of robotic technologies in an educational setting. The school has employed telepresence robots which enable teachers to monitor students even if they may not be physically presence on campus. Nexus experiment with telepresence robots also demonstrate the cost advantage as each telepresence robot costs $6,000 in initial investment and only $1,000 in annual maintenance (Dobo, 2015). If history is any indicator, the technological costs only come down over time, often significantly, thus, the widespread presence of robots in academic settings in the near future should not come as a surprise.
Even the most revolutionary technologies can impose costs if managed improperly and robotic technologies would be no exception. Thus, just as it is important to embrace robotic technologies due to their wide array of applications, it is also important to build safeguards against potential costs. One of the major concerns is that robots may become too intelligent and could spell the end of human civilization as we know it. This is a major concern and has even been expressed by a visionary technology leader like Elon Musk (Peter, 2015). One potential strategy to prevent such a threat is to carefully design artificial intelligence (AI) so as to eliminate undesired effects. We may also benefit from incorporating values in AI that we humans follow ourselves (Greenwald, 2015).
Robotic technologies are expected to revolutionize our future in quite a similar manner to the internet. They may be found everywhere from homes and workplaces to academic institutions. They are also expected to revolutionize the way we travel. Even though robotic technologies may eliminate certain jobs to a significant degree, they may also create jobs that do not exist yet. But just as there are benefits, they can be potential costs, too. Arguably the greatest threat posed by robotic technologies is the end of human civilization as we know it though such a scenario could be avoided through careful development of AI.
