Automation technologies, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence: The rise of intelligent machines

The recent technological advancements have made it possible for humans to produce machines that have some of the qualities that the human mind has, such as the ability to understand language, recognize pictures, solve problems and learn; the field known as Artificial Intelligence.

It is becoming evident that in the near future computers, machines, robots and algorithms are going to be able to do most of the routine, repetitive types of jobs.

It is not only about repetitive jobs, Automation, Robotics, Algorithms and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in recent times have shown that they can do equal or sometimes even better work than humans.

In the near future computers will have the ability to learn without being explicitly programmed, that’s the essence of what Machine Learning is all about.

Moreover, there is growing concern that technology developments on the near horizon will destroy the jobs of the millions who drive cars and trucks, analyze medical tests and data, perform middle management chores, dispense medicine, trade stocks and evaluate markets, fight on battlefields, perform government functions, and even replace those who program software – that is, the creators of algorithms.

Read also: How far can Artificial Intelligence reach?

Robots are expanding their skills than ever, they are showing awesome productivity and retention rates, and increasingly outperforming their human counterparts.

It is true that recent technological innovations have destroyed some jobs but they also created new kinds of jobs.

In the 1800s, 80 percent of the U.S. labor force worked on farms. Today it’s 2 percent. 

Obviously mechanization didn’t destroy the economy; it made it better off. Food is now really cheap compared to what it was relative to income, and as a result people have money to spend on other things and they’ve transitioned to jobs in other areas.

But Information Technology is totally different, unlike agricultural revolution that was specialized technology that couldn’t be implemented in other industries; Information Technology is a broad-based general purpose technology that can be applied virtually to any industry.

Ready or not, Artificial Intelligence is here; and it’s here to stay. Businesses and organizations that have taken an early lead in the adoption and use of Artificial Intelligence (be it Natural Language processing, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, or Cognitive Computing) are simply scratching the surface of its potential to not only improve sales, service, marketing and operations, but to discover and deliver new innovative digital business models.

The rate of Artificial Intelligence is increasing among business and organizations;

• 75% of more than 200 business executives surveyed said AI will be actively implemented in their companies within the next three years.
• 58% of enterprise business executives are already using predictive analytics within their organizations. 
•  61% of those who have an innovation strategy say they are using AI to identify opportunities in data that would otherwise be missed. 
•  44%, worry delaying artificial intelligence implementation will make their business vulnerable to new, disruptive start-ups.

As Robots, Automation and Artificial Intelligence perform more tasks and there is massive disruption of jobs, experts say a wider array of education and skills-building programs will be created to meet new demands.

Will AI and Robotics create more jobs than they would destroy?

48% of the respondents envisioned a future where more jobs are lost than created, while 52% said more jobs would be created than lost.

Robots, Automation and Artificial intelligence has led to many uncertainties like how well workers prepared to be able to keep up in the race with AI tools?