Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

‘Robots’ to Compete with Humans by 2025 | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Darley Shen, Reuters


London – Intensified studies and researches carried out by more than one party, including Oxford and the World Economic Forum, revealed that by the year 2025 the jobs of taxi drivers and banks and reception staff will be at risk.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, defined as the robotic revolution and artificial intelligence, will threaten the current life style, communication, education and real life, which will transfer into a virtual one starting from sewing shops and not ending with pharmacies.

Meanwhile, some professions will remain safe such as medicine, advocacy and elementary school teachers.

Two researchers in Oxford University Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael A. Osborne estimated that about 47 percent of total U.S. employment is at risk of computerization.

For his part, Head of Society and Innovation in the World Economic Forum Nicholas Davis told Asharq Al-Awsat that one third of human skills will become worthless in less than 10 years.

He explained: “Now in many restaurants the customer no more needs to communicate with an employee to order a meal as he can just choose the meal using a touch screen, pay for it and receive it from the takeaway window.”

This is applied in many restaurants in the United States and European countries, he said.

Davis also said that governments will face difficulties in legislating tech laws because the Fourth Industrial Revolution could surprise them any moment, just like self-driving cars were invented along with many other applications.

Davis further noted that awareness is the only solution to face upcoming technological changes and developments that will puzzle people.

In the meantime, technology is controlling humans and not vice versa, he said.

The latest scientific research achieved in this matter was published on Wednesday by MIT professor and Director of the Initiative on the Digital Economy Erik Brynjolfsson who said: “The future is not pre-ordained by machines. It’s created by humans. Technology is a tool. We can use it in many different ways.”

He also said that he is aware of people’s concern when it comes to losing their jobs such as truck drivers and receptionists who might lose their jobs in the coming decade due to this technology.