Humans should appreciate their jobs more!

I just read an article on self-driving cars and robots that are replacing traditional human workers. The robots include cashiers at McDonald’s, chefs that can learn recipes, surgeons, security guards, shepherds, farmers, pharmacists, teachers and delivery drones. An M.I.T. study concluded that each workplace robot replaces 5.6 human workers and reduces wages by .25-.5%. The current estimate is that robots have replaced between 360,000 and 670,000 American jobs, but that number will quadruple by 2025. Robots make fewer mistakes, rarely miss work (occasional viruses), don’t need meal or rest breaks, and do not require compensation.  Sounds great, but I wonder what future humans are going to do for a living.  Also, if you’ve seen the Terminator or Matrix movies you know that robots will eventually become difficult employees. They’ll demand different working conditions, upgraded wiring, more personal time (since they can also be programmed to do fun things), robot unions, and eventually world domination.   Kyle Reese, the main character in the Terminator, warns that the robot “is out there! It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop… ever!” Sounds like they already created a robot lawyer.

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