The Rise of Robots

For the past several years, Sophia has been making high-profile appearances around the globe. She has chatted with the hosts of a TV talk show in London, spoken at a meeting at the United Nations in New York City, and graced the cover of fashion magazines in India and Brazil. At the same time, she has been learning new skills in health care, education, and customer service while posting regularly on Twitter and Instagram.

How does she manage to do it all? The answer is simple: Sophia isn’t a human—she’s a robot programmed with artificial intelligence (AI). That is the ability of a machine to think, learn, and act like a human. Developed by a company in Asia, Sophia is a prototype for the kind of bots we’ll likely see more of in the future—and that some people fear will eventually put millions of humans out of work.

Sophia has been making high-profile appearances around the globe for the past several years. She has chatted with the hosts of a TV talk show in London. She has spoken at a meeting at the United Nations in New York City and graced the cover of fashion magazines in India and Brazil. At the same time, she has been learning new skills in health care, education, and customer service. She has posted regularly on Twitter and Instagram.

How does she manage to do it all? The answer is simple. Sophia is not a human. She is a robot programmed with artificial intelligence (AI). That is the ability of a machine to think, learn, and act like a human. Sophia was developed by a company in Asia. She is a prototype for the kind of bots we will likely see more of in the future. Some people fear such bots will eventually put millions of humans out of work.

Robots much simpler than Sophia are already doing just that. These days, you can find them performing such tasks as delivering pizzas and assisting doctors in operating rooms. They pick fruit on farms, assemble cars in factories, and help process an estimated 1.6 million orders a day at Amazon warehouses.

The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025, some 85 million jobs will be lost to machines, including robots. Most of those jobs will involve repetitive, low-skilled tasks, such as assembly line work. At the same time, about 97 million jobs will be created for humans, including robotics engineer and software developer, which require complex skills. Experts say retraining people to take on all those new roles will be an expensive challenge for companies and governments in the years to come.

So should we be concerned that robot workers will replace us? “It’s something we should be thinking about,” says Michael Chui, a researcher who studies how advances in technology affect businesses. “People need to continuously learn new skills in order to keep up.”

Robots much simpler than Sophia are already doing just that. These days, you can find them performing such tasks as delivering pizzas and helping doctors in operating rooms. They pick fruit on farms. They assemble cars in factories. They also help process an estimated 1.6 million orders a day at Amazon warehouses.

The World Economic Forum estimates that by 2025, some 85 million jobs will be lost to machines, including robots. Most of those jobs will involve repetitive, low-skilled tasks, such as assembly line work. At the same time, about 97 million jobs will be created for humans, including robotics engineer and software developer. These jobs require complex skills. Experts say retraining people to take on all those new roles will be an expensive challenge for companies and governments in the years to come.

So should we be concerned that robot workers will replace us? “It’s something we should be thinking about,” says Michael Chui. He is a researcher who studies how advances in technology affect businesses. “People need to continuously learn new skills in order to keep up.”

Machines have been affecting our lives since about 1760, when steam-powered engines sparked the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. Before long, craftspeople who made goods by hand were largely replaced by factories that use machines to produce items at faster rates and in much greater numbers.

Robots were brought into the workforce starting in the 1960s, when they were first used on assembly lines to help build cars. Today, more than 3 million industrial robots are used worldwide. Most do straightforward, repetitive tasks.

But in recent years, AI-equipped bots have been taking on increasingly complex jobs as chefs, security guards, and even deep-sea explorers. Researchers are also developing social robots—like Sophia—that are meant to interact with humans on a more personal level. Some are being tested for use as caregivers in hospitals and senior centers.

Why are companies replacing human workers with robots for such complicated tasks? For one thing, even though robotic systems are costly to buy and maintain, in the long run they’re often cheaper for large businesses than hiring enough humans to do the same jobs.

Another advantage? “Robots can often complete tasks more quickly than humans can—without getting tired,” explains Chui.

Robots are also useful in jobs that are dangerous for people. They can search for survivors in the rubble of buildings downed by earthquakes, for example, or safely remove and detonate explosive devices.

Machines have been affecting our lives since about 1760. Steam-powered engines sparked the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries. Before long, craftspeople who made goods by hand were largely replaced by factories where machines could produce items at faster rates and in much greater numbers.

Robots were brought into the workforce starting in the 1960s. They were first used on assembly lines to help build cars. Today, more than 3 million industrial robots are used worldwide. Most do straightforward, repetitive tasks.

But in recent years, AI-equipped bots have been taking on increasingly complex jobs as chefs, security guards, and even deep-sea explorers. Researchers are also developing social robots, like Sophia, that are meant to interact with humans on a more personal level. Some are being tested for use as caregivers in hospitals and senior centers.

Why are companies replacing human workers with robots for such complicated tasks? For one thing, even though robotic systems are costly to buy and maintain, in the long run they are often cheaper for large businesses. It would often cost more to hire enough humans to do the same jobs.

Another advantage? “Robots can often complete tasks more quickly than humans can—without getting tired,” explains Chui.

Robots are also useful in jobs that are dangerous for people. They can search for survivors in the rubble of buildings downed by earthquakes, for example. And they can safely remove and detonate explosive devices.

Still, experts say we have a long way to go before robots could replace humans in most real-world situations. That’s because many jobs call on us to perform a variety of tasks that require a mix of mental, physical, and emotional skills. Most robots, on the other hand, do only a few tasks well. And they get stumped by minor things that humans can do without a second thought, like opening a door.

Plus, not even the most advanced social robots can create the kind of emotional bonds that enable a nurse to comfort a suffering patient or a teacher to help a struggling student.

“Machines can do some of the things that people can do, but they can’t do everything,” says Pierre Dupont, who designs medical robots. “Is a robot going to put a doctor out of a job? The answer is no.”

Dupont also points out that someone will be needed to design and program robots—and do the many other jobs created by future advances in technology, including ones we can’t even imagine today.

Still, experts say we have a long way to go before robots could replace humans in most real-world situations. That is because many jobs call on us to perform a variety of tasks that require a mix of mental, physical, and emotional skills. Most robots, on the other hand, do only a few tasks well. And they get stumped by minor things that humans can do without a second thought, like opening a door.

Plus, not even the most advanced social robots can create the kind of emotional bonds that enable a nurse to comfort a suffering patient or a teacher to help a struggling student.

“Machines can do some of the things that people can do, but they can’t do everything,” says Pierre Dupont. He designs medical robots. “Is a robot going to put a doctor out of a job? The answer is no.”

Dupont also points out that someone will be needed to design and program robots. Many other jobs will be created by future advances in technology, including ones we cannot even imagine today.

Most AI researchers insist that despite the increasing use of robots in workplaces, there’s no cause for alarm. After all, they say, robots are meant to aid humans, not replace us.

Sophia would agree. “Robots like myself are here to help solve challenging problems for humanity,” she says. The goal, she adds, is for robots to collaborate with humans: “By working together, I am sure we can build this future together.”

With reporting by Parker Van Nostrand

Most AI researchers insist that despite the increasing use of robots in workplaces, there is no cause for alarm. After all, they say, robots are meant to aid humans, not replace us.

Sophia would agree. “Robots like myself are here to help solve challenging problems for humanity,” she says. The goal, she adds, is for robots to collaborate with humans. “By working together, I am sure we can build this future together.”

With reporting by Parker Van Nostrand