www.gransnet.com/forums/science_nature_environment/a1216866-3D-bridge-made-by-robot
ah, her son used to work on robot arms.
That explains all.
Good Morning Monday 11th May 2026
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The 4th Industrial Revolution
(114 Posts)A recent article by Bernard Marr in Forbes:
The 4th Industrial Revolution And A Jobless Future - A Good Thing?
It’s estimated that between 35 and 50 percent of jobs that exist today are at risk of being lost to automation.
Repetitive, blue collar type jobs might be first, but even professionals — including paralegals, diagnosticians, and customer service representatives — will be at risk.
This isn’t just science fiction, it’s happening now. Manufacturing are the first places we see robots and automation eliminating human jobs, but it’s hard to think of an industry that will be left unaffected as robots and AI become more affordable and widespread.
Rather than fight this advancement and wring our hands over the robots “stealing” our jobs, maybe it’s time to envision a jobless future.
Most people are in jobs they don’t particularly enjoy, with lots of mundane and repetitive tasks. Is it not our obligation to pass those jobs to machines?
From a business standpoint, any consultant would tell you that any task that can be systematized and automated should be. Many jobs are not jobs humans should waste their time doing.
The challenge is to rethink our economic model to ensure the people who will do something more interesting and enjoyable can afford to do so.
What would a jobless future look like?
All these technological advances that we are creating today — big data, artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things — represent a significant challenge to capitalism.
The more we automate and systematize, the more we see jobless growth and productivity. Taken to its logical extremes, we have a paradox of an exponentially growing number of products, manufactured more and more efficiently, but with rising unemployment and underemployment, falling real wages and stagnant living standards.
The 4th Industrial Revolution has started.
In other words, more products produced more cheaply and efficiently — but no one able to afford to buy them.
In fact, it’s already begun.
The rate of technological progress and worker productivity is on the rise, but wages are stagnating, factories are eliminating jobs, and researchers estimate that anywhere between 35 and 50 percent of jobs that exist now are in danger of being lost to automation.
But what if the prognosis weren’t all doom and gloom? What if all this automation were instead to provide so much luxury that we enter a post-work era, when humans are required to do very little labor and machines provide everything we need?
Fully Automated Luxury Communism describes an idea and ideology that in the (relatively near) future, machines could provide for all our basic needs. Humans would be required to do very little work on quality control and similar oversight, and have much of their time free to pursue other things. The result would be attainable luxury for everyone.
Robots, AI, machine learning, big data, etc. could make human labor redundant instead of creating even further inequalities. It could lead to a society where everyone lives in luxury and where machines produce everything while humans are free to pursue the creative explorations that robots and machines are incapable of: science, art, music, poetry, invention, and exploration.
How a jobless society must work
The trick, however, is subordinating the technology to global human needs rather than to profits.
Putting modern technology to work for the people is an excellent goal, and democratizing the advantages of our advances is already happening in some sectors. Bringing governments and nonprofit organizations onto the same technological footing as for-profit companies is a good step forward and could result in huge strides towards improving living conditions, decreasing crime, ending poverty and other problems.
I believe that if we can collectively turn our technology to the good of everyone, technology would not just be pruning away the jobs that are too mundane for humans to do, but also create new opportunities to replace the ones that were lost. Crucially: the jobs will be pruned regardless, but it is up to us to create the opportunities.
It’s the idea that the next Mozart, or Einstein, or Edison may be waiting — but because of inequalities like poor schooling, hunger, inadequate housing, etc., they may never reach their full potential.
If technology can provide an equal playing field for those children of the future, providing for all their needs, and that is done through the loss of the low-wage, monotonous, unfulfilling jobs we are clinging to today, then I say, destroy those jobs. Make way for the new generation and give them the tools they need to create incredible things.
Any comments?
they not the
Why do you believe the must work Ankers?
^ It insults those with learning disabilities, ^
No it doesnt.
And it is attitudes like yours and others which stop them being able to work.
Which is not fair, not caring, not empathetic etc etc.
If they want to work, why shouldnt they? Why should they be discriminated against?
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4273056/Let-s-daughter-work-minimum-wage.html?ITO=1490
durhamjen, if I remember correctly, you really like robots
I'm glad it wasn't just me that spotted that very odd comment MawBroon. What a strange thing to say. I can imagine someone seeing the worth of robots (or not) and the progress that they can bring (or not) but 'liking' robots ... I can't believe anyone said that to be honest.
Disability discrimination. The Equality Act 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against employees (including workers) because of a mental or physical disability.
Fortunately employment protection for those with learning disabilities means that they cannot be shunted into repetitive unskilled work such as maizied described.
There will be a place for AI and for robots in our workplace, but this should not form part of the criteria.
On another thread there was talk about cognitive dissonance This is an old YouTube clip but it says everything I feel about how and why people think 'work' is a good thing. I think reveiewing societies attitude to work will be necessary if we are to cope with robots and AI.
Would life be better if robots did all the work?. This was on Radio 4 this morning. Interesting both from robotics, AI and UBI.
As I understand it Rosa Moncton said she thought her daughter who has Down Syndrome, should be allowed to work for less than the minimum wage as employers would always choose an "able bodied" applicant over one with learning disabilities.
I can understand her point of view insofar as I take it she means a sort of government subsidy (a bit like a work experience placement to encourage the employers. ) We have a similar situation where the 40 year-old daughter of our cousin who has Down syndrome is certainly capable of working, she is a talented artist but has had problems finding employment in a more sheltered and caring environment.
However, to go from that to a sweeping statement that the mindless repetitive tasks performed by machines woukd be suitable employment "for the disabled" beggars belief. It insults those with learning disabilities, patronises them and frankly IMHO does not belong on GRANSNET -a "caring" community (?)
durhamjen, if I remember correctly, you really like robots
I must have missed that. DJ can you point me towards where you expressed that?
Those like Rosa Monkton's daughter.
Those like I see in my home town day in day out. They are able bodied, and are somewhat employed by Tesco and the fruit and veg shop to do a few hours[prob less than or up to the 16].
It doesnt have to be a full day you see.
Even those with ME. MS? The list is endless.
Or are you just reverting to 'wind up merchant' mode, Ankers?
That's a bit breathtaking, Ankers. those with disabilities might like those jobs
What particular 'disabilities' do you have in mind here?
Because I can tell you, as one who has worked on a production line, that about the only person who could contemplate the prospect of doing that day in day out for 40 years would be one with no brain cells. Are you saying that 'disabled' equals 'brain dead'?
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Agreed, Maizie.
Have you ever worked on an oldfashioned factory production line, Ankers? Boring, repetitive unskilled work. I did it for 3 months in my 20s. It was a good experience in some ways but not a lifelong career! Robots are more than welcome to those kinds of job.
But, as I said before, to make this future work for everyone would need a radical rethink of society.
Perhaps the universal income might be a first step?
It's going to be interesting to see what will happen about the car industry now that Peugeot is buying out Vauxhall.
Jobs definitely to go.
Perhaps we need to think more about reducing our reliance on cars, think more about public transport, improving bus and rail travel, think more about the circular economy.
True, but they might start altering how unemployment is measurered, or some such nonsense.
And I am right, You do like robots. Though I cant remember why.
One of the things the governments always try to do is get unemployment figures down. If unemployment increases dramatically because of machines taking over more jobs, it will not look good on the record.
Me neither.
Profit trumps people.
Hi tech companies also feed their employees breakfast! Long since forgotten why though.
To an extent, robots are already doing some mundane jobs. Learning has changed as result of technology. However, there will for the foreseeable future be some jobs which can only be done by humans. These tend to be creative jobs requiring sophisticated decision making.
Even jobs dealing with people are not safe. Think about the systems used to decide benefit claims, which are causing havoc. The standard first-line treatment for depression is an online CBT-based course (less said about that the better!). Schools use a number of apps for practising maths andvocabulary in foreign languages, which pupils are already finding boring. I think we could very well see a backlash,just as many call centres were repatriated to the UK. On the other hand, I wonder whether there will be a return to automated car washes, if Eastern Europeans return to their countries of origin.
Ironically,many hi-tech companies treat their staff well and recognise that employees need to be nurtured. Many of them have well-stocked fridges with healthy snacks and relaxation 'pods' for resting their brains.
I don't think there's any doubt that less-skilled jobs will go - it's already happening. CEOs will do a cost analysis and decide that in many cases, robots are cheaper and more efficient.
There need to be some fundamental questions about the purpose of economic activity. Should it be to add figures to a balance sheet or to increase people's well-being? The progress in gadgetry is exponential, but should we do something just because we can? As humans, I think we need to be aware of our responsibility to ourselves and the planet. When Rutherford and his team first split the atom, they changed the face of physics. Many people have benefited from nuclear medicine but,of course,it was the same discovery which led to nuclear weapons.
To be honest, I can't see a will to put people first.
Back in the seventies, Schumacher's ideas seemed so simple, Gracesgran.
Not forgetting the benefits system that says that if you are not earning enough and need to claim universal credit, you still have to look for extra work or else your credit is stopped because you have not been looking for work.
There must be a name for that, as well, apart from stupid.
I don't know how any of us who are retired would deal with both the constant change and the insecurity of the jobs market these days. No sooner have you got your head round the fact that you may be working in the Gig Economy than you realise that your attempts to work for yourself may have put you into the Platform Economy where you may think you are self-employed but you are actually a 'worker' (not an employee) and have to do as the Platform dictates while taking on all the costs and worries of your own business with none of the hard earned pensions, sick-pay, holidays, etc.
If this is not enough you may find that this is part of a Protean career; watch out or that career will have gone and you may not have spotted the next big thing. No comfort from training, entering a business, more training, promotion and ending with a nice fat defined benefit pension. You will be lucky if your portfolio of careers puts a decent pension together.
Of course, you may get into one of the few remaining organisations that appear to be hierarchical only to find they run a boundarylessorganisa
I can see the revolution in work having wonderful results but I can also see the damage being done along the way.
durhanjen, if I remember correctly, you really like robots?
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