I have a recurring issue with obsessing over whether my job is secure given the massive upswing in universities and online umbrella companies promoting fabulous new courses with thousands of students learning online under the aegis of remote-control professors. It makes me think of the tide of robot replacements waiting on the horizon.
It all started when I read Farhad Manjoo’s excellent series Will Robots Steal Your Job? His “everyone thinks it won’t happen to them” argument is trickily compelling, especially since there already have been suggestions that professors could be replaced by online content. Sure, not next tomorrow, but maybe frighteningly soon.
I have two questions for you to ponder, in the light of this. First, you are in the process of choosing careers. Have you thought about whether the paths you are choosing are robot-proof? Are you going to graduate, only to find yourself vulnerable to robot replacement? Second, do you think I am about to be replaced? How do you respond to the prospect of Professor Robot?
I’m planning on being a psychologist and to be one you need to be able to ask the right questions and understand the persons issues which takes a lot of emotional and cognitive work. I don’t believe robots could have the cognitive or emotional capability as a human and there for not be as effective or likeable. As far as professors go, I think people like have a person explaining to them and tending to their areas of struggle. Though online courses are convenient sometimes its hard to learn properly and stay on track. I think professors will not be replaced either. I think some banking jobs would be a jeopardy though, since a lot of it is working computers and numbers.
Funny, Alexandra Chioureas, I am also planning on being a psychologist. I also don’t believe that robots could ever take the place of face to face interactions.It relates to this whole issue about people using text messaging and instant messaging so much that we hardly get in any “real time” for each other. I do think we use this kind of technology too much, but when it comes down to it, I think we all need some real contact every once in a while. I think this can apply to your job as well Robyn. Without the stimulating classroom environment, I would find it very difficult to stay interested and focused. The setting helps me learn, and I prefer the combination of hearing the prof speak to expand on the topic, as well as being able to take notes. Just staring at a computer screen and being expected to take in all the information would be much to dry for me. No fear Robyn, your job is safe- in my opinion anyways!
When I was choosing what career path I wanted to pursue and go to university for, I definitely thought a lot about the sustainability of my position in terms of technological advances. Initially I wanted to become a real estate agent or a travel agent. However then I thought of all the trips that I took, most of the time I researched and then booked online, same goes for apartment hunting, researching online was the majority of my hunt. Eventually people will not go through “agents” to assist them in making decisions or plans, it will be all computer or even “robot” based. I decided to go into journalism, after all the news is always going to be around and I realize that I probably won’t be standing on a street corner waving papers screaming “extra, extra here all about it” but I will have a long career in the field producing news through many interesting forms of media. At least I hope so anyway.
I am planning on going into Geology so while I do not believe that my potential job could be replaced by a robot, I suppose that parts of that job have to potential to be. When it comes to your job however I do not think teachers could ever entirely be replaced because for people like me, I know I would not be able to learn nearly as well without a physical teacher present in front of the class.
I am currently in the marketing program and am looking for a career in this field. Obviously. What draws me to this field is the interaction that I will get once I get a career.
Collaborating with coworkers to find creative solutions as well as meeting and interacting with customers or clients to find the best fitting solution for their problems. I don’t think a robot could ever replace this role. They are incapable of creative thought and communicating with individuals to generate creative ideas and solutions. As for your job, I am completely confident in saying your job is safe for a very very long time. For me the The class time with the professor is very important, They provide insight and real life examples and experiences of the class content at work. This is important. They also stimulate and drive the classroom learning and discussion forward.
They bring to the classroom aspects which a robot could never replace.
I found this blog very interesting! I for one, have thought of this topic many times before. My future job that I want to have after university is to became a pilot. I believe this job is robot safe for my life span. Even though many militaries already have drones that can fly a complete mission with no humans onboard. I still do not think that commercial aviation will be fetched up by robots. I say this because many modern planes have autopilots that can almost fly the entire leg of the flight, so if tomorrow they wanted to take all the pilots out of the cockpits and let the planes fly by themselves the probably could! The only problem is that there would be also no passengers on board. Studies have shown that many people would not risk their life flying in a plane if there were robots flying them. People are just not comfortable with that fact. They would rather put there trust in a breathing soul then a piece of metal. Another reason I believe my job is not going disappear, is due to the fact that now pilots are being trained on way more then just flying the aircraft. We are trained to be situationally aware at all times and able to execute emergency in a safe and efficient way. If robots were flying and something went wrong with the electronics portion of the robot then a perfectly good airplane is destined to a not to good ending.
I am going to be graduating within the next year from business and particularly in the finance field. The thought of whether a finance job is “robot-proof” has actually crossed my mind when deciding what sector to work in. Financial planning has been an option, but this is a definite job that could be replaced by computers/robots. With the ease of online banking and financial software being created and advanced every year, one day it will replace the need for financial planners. The ease of this method will cause the younger generations do it themselves, rather then taking the time out of their busy schedule to stop in for a meeting. I think that there is the possibility that the need for teachers will decrease with the growing trend of online schools, however it probably will never become an extinct profession. In my personal preference sometimes its easy to take a course or two online just to lighten my overall course load, but I will never decide to complete my entire education within the online atmosphere. I also would prefer if my children went to a school with a physical professor, they need to learn people interaction.
I am also a marketing major student and I know that in the future I will be working with a lot of customers, clients, and stakeholders to establish relationship marketing with them. I don’t think robots will have the ability to meet its customers’ need because the word “relationship” is an emotive one. It is designed for humans to develop strong connections with its important people to provide them with information that directly meets their needs and interest. Robots however don’t have the emotional and cognitive skills to establish this. For professors however, I do believe that technology is replacing most of professors job. I have already seen a lot of changes that has happened since my childhood. Technology today has established online courses and online tutorial help that has been replacing professors for years now for some students. Although it is easy to replace a lecture with technology, it does not help students who require one- on -one help. I can’t see robots do the same either. Professors provide interactions, time, and valuable feedback to their student in which it can never be replaced by technology and robots.
I see where people are coming from when they are referencing relationship marketing and the emotional intelligence that is needed to be a psychologist and I agree that for a robot to take a humans job in these position sounds absurd. However the brain is by far the most complex thing ever discovered by man, and it is in our nature to conquer that witch perplexes us and challenges us. We will strive to recreate the human brain in all its grander and it will be the most significant scientific accomplishment known to man kind.
I believe it is naive to think even the jobs that require the most astute emotional intelligence could not be supplemented if not overtaken by artificial intelligence (AI) by the people who choose to use AI as an alternative.
The same could be said for Robyn’s job as a university professor. However I also believe in the human condition of needing to interact and feel a sense of belonging with other people. So human professors will still be needed in the future to shape the minds of the next generation but they may be working along side with AI to enhance the learning experience and outcome.