I don’t want to be replaced by a robot.
That sentence would have sounded ridiculous 20 years ago when computers were a luxury and cell phones were the size of bricks. But now we live in a time when 45% of jobs in the United States have the potential to be replaced by computers in the next two decades.
Does anyone else find that semi-terrifying?
Don’t get me wrong, I am all for certain technological advances. Any technology that helps saves lives or makes my morning commute easier has my full support. And if someone would create a way to remove calories from pizza, that would be super.
But things like driverless cars or robots taking care of the elderly make me very nervous. With hackers frequently stealing credit card information and cyber-attacks happening across the world, how am I supposed to trust the safety of a computer driving me around? What if the robot that is supposed to give Grandma her medication malfunctions and punches her in the nose instead?
Yes, I realize some of my worries are far-fetched. I really doubt cybercriminals will take time out of their busy law-breaking schedules to mess with sweet old ladies. And if a driverless car was perfected, it would be nice to nap on my way to work.
But where to draw the line? With such brilliant minds working in science right now, I would like to see more technology that cures diseases and less technology that makes humans lazier by doing everything for them.
I especially don’t want the robots to take over the workplace. Assisting in surgery or helping to solve global problems would be an acceptable use of computers working with humans. But do we really want a robot bringing us our dinner at restaurants or cutting our hair?
Would you enjoy this article more if you knew it was written by a robot? OK, the mental image of a robot typing away at a computer is pretty amusing, but what if an algorithm was responsible for writing this? Would you trust a news piece written by a computer? Would an opinion piece like this article lose its impact if you knew that there wasn’t a person at the other end of it?
Perhaps my fear is rooted in paranoia. I love my job and don’t want to lose it to a series of 0s and 1s.
I guess the moral of the story is to encourage your kids to pursue technology jobs. This way when you are replaced by a robot, your kids will be steadily employed and able to take care of you.
It’s probably good to have an in with the people behind the algorithms, right?
Erin Palmer is a writer and editor who is fascinated by technology (but really hopes she won’t be replaced by a robot). Her work has appeared in numerous publications and websites, including The Chicago Tribune and The Huffington Post.
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