I remember as a kid when technology was still very low level
we were warned that machines were going to soon compete with us. Even
then, we used to hear that "one day technology will replace humans." It
was scary stuff, if too far into the future to worry about. Well now we
know that no machine can replace you and me or even crazy Uncle Claude.
No machine can imitate that guy! But what they can do and are doing at
record rates all over the world is to take the place of human workers.
They are stealing jobs.
Employers are now using machines to do many tasks that humans used to do. The "machines can do anything better than humans" mantra is already true in many job areas. It's a fact that human workers can not compete with the more efficient and cheaper to use machines, which means unemployment and a lower living standard for us.
What kind of jobs are being taken over by computers? The vast majority are the so called "middle class wage" jobs. This would include jobs such as: secretary, data analysts, telephone operators, mail carriers, bookkeepers, travel agents, cashiers....just about any except me....I'm irreplaceable, largely because I do nothing useful.
Today's computers can gather and sort through huge amounts of information, giving conclusions and recommendations that no human could offer. And that information can be stored on "clouds", to be retrieved instantly for whatever use an employer might have. Let's face it. Software improvement has made machines smarter than we are or ever will be. Apart from judgmental and creative issues, which are not be involved in most work decisions, computers are now ahead of even the most adept humans. And these newer devices are easier to use than ever, making those hated tech repair guys also an endangered species. Glad to see them go...
So employers and governments everywhere in the world (This is supposedly a bigger problem in Europe than anywhere else) are firing workers and hiring computers. I wonder how this will affect we humans at work and when at home? Will we start to compete with computers for attention? Will we be jealous of them? Will we start to feel we are obsolete? Will we be able to find meaningful and financially attractive work to replace the lost jobs? Just some things to think about in the coming age of human obsolescence.
Employers are now using machines to do many tasks that humans used to do. The "machines can do anything better than humans" mantra is already true in many job areas. It's a fact that human workers can not compete with the more efficient and cheaper to use machines, which means unemployment and a lower living standard for us.
What kind of jobs are being taken over by computers? The vast majority are the so called "middle class wage" jobs. This would include jobs such as: secretary, data analysts, telephone operators, mail carriers, bookkeepers, travel agents, cashiers....just about any except me....I'm irreplaceable, largely because I do nothing useful.
Today's computers can gather and sort through huge amounts of information, giving conclusions and recommendations that no human could offer. And that information can be stored on "clouds", to be retrieved instantly for whatever use an employer might have. Let's face it. Software improvement has made machines smarter than we are or ever will be. Apart from judgmental and creative issues, which are not be involved in most work decisions, computers are now ahead of even the most adept humans. And these newer devices are easier to use than ever, making those hated tech repair guys also an endangered species. Glad to see them go...
So employers and governments everywhere in the world (This is supposedly a bigger problem in Europe than anywhere else) are firing workers and hiring computers. I wonder how this will affect we humans at work and when at home? Will we start to compete with computers for attention? Will we be jealous of them? Will we start to feel we are obsolete? Will we be able to find meaningful and financially attractive work to replace the lost jobs? Just some things to think about in the coming age of human obsolescence.
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