DEBATE REFLECTION
Robots Used In Industrial Settings (Kobe, 2015)
Background
Autonomous robots replacing workers who conduct low skill jobs is a current topic of conversation. Autonomous robots are defined as intelligent machines that are capable of performing myriad tasks (Sheridan, 2017), without explicit human control (Bekey, 2005). Whilst Artificial Intelligence could either erase or create jobs, many economists agree that the rules of employment will be ultimately affected by smart machines (Brown, 2016).
Arguments Presented
The debate addressed the positives and negatives of autonomous robots replacing all low skilled jobs. The first positive argument suggested that automation presents many opportunities and sought to positioning autonomous robots as a facilitator reshaping jobs rather than removing them. The first negative argument addressed the impacts of job loss on people from a financial, personal, and community standpoint. Productivity and safety were argued from both perspectives.
Exciting Opportunities and Reshaping Jobs
Automation presents exciting opportunities for society but doesn’t come its without challenges. It can evoke fear for many people, but simply labelling this fear as technophobia fails to address underlying concerns about how to provide new jobs for those affected. Indeed, smart machines are creating a very different job market (Brown, 2016), as demonstrated in Figure One, showing dramatic shifts in employment in the United Kingdom. However, as MIT Scientist Andrew McAfee put it,
“the jobs that are going away are not coming back” (Kobe, 2015).
Figure One: Fastest Growing/Shrinking Occupations (UK) - (Brown, 2016)
There is sparse information that addresses both innovation and job loss. Dahlin (2019) writes that ‘the media and popular business press often invoke narratives that reflect widespread anxiety that robots will render humans obsolete in the workplace’. According to Dahlin, employees won’t be displaced due to implementing more robots in the workplace, instead they will be complimentary to humans. For example, Nissan reformed their Tennessee factory so that employees wouldn’t be laid off and could work alongside autonomous machines (Dahlin, 2019).
On the contrary, there is much evidence suggesting negative implications for a wider range of occupations, despite these isolated examples where automation has been integrated. Oxford Research suggests that low-skilled, highly repetitive jobs are most at risk: sales staff, construction workers, drivers, and office administrators (Kobie, 2015). Furthermore, Factory workers, video store clerks, travel agents, bookkeepers, and secretaries have seen their jobs eliminated and replaced by autonomous machinery and online services (Brown, 2016). The number of people employed in manufacturing, construction, retail trade, accommodation and food services can be seen in Figure Two.
It’s not just low skilled jobs that are being affected. Accounting, journalism and the military have all seen autonomous technology implemented (Kobie, 2015). A large portion of Australia’s population is employed in these industries, all with potential to be affected by job loss or workplace reshaping because of autonomous robots. Therefore, contrary to the positive team’s arguments and the examples they gave, a larger and more significant group of people are primed to be affected by job loss.
Figure Two: Number of Employed People by Forms of Employment, by Industry - (ABS, 2019)
Financial, Personal, and Community Impacts
Before labelling people technophobic, as the positive team have done, it’s important to understand how job loss might affect someone. Throughout history the introduction of every additional robot has increased unemployment in the United States by 5.6% (Sheridan, 2017). At this rate, some fear may be justified. Furthermore, unemployment can lead to significant financial and social stress. Economic hardship over areas of life previously taken for granted can put significant financial stress on households. Because of this, it has been noted that mastery and control are crucial in sustaining good mental health, with mastery being a critical mediator between stress and poor mental health (Friedland, Price & Vinokur, 1998).
Job loss is a stressful life event that has significant impact on mental health and self-worth. It is even argued by Freud that the two wellsprings of mental health are love and work (Friedland et al., 1998). Inherently, jobs are a social role; therefore, job loss presents a major challenge to the idea of self-worth according to Friedland et al. (1998). Social stigma as a result of job loss can cause friendships developed within the workplace to be lost alongside jobs (Friedland et al., 1998). Clearly, it is necessary to consider the impacts of automation beyond its more obvious effects on the economy.
What is more, people who work low skilled jobs are integral, especially during global pandemics like COVID-19. People who stock shelves, clean public spaces and collect garbage, for example, are holding society together. These jobs are low skilled and may one day face automation. However, robots are only capable of performing rote, monotonous tasks; aren’t good at adaptation; and still struggle with jobs requiring human interaction (Sprinkle, 2017). People working these jobs are providing a sense of reassurance and familiarity. Humans are still needed to interact with the community, and these face to face interactions are valuable. Consequently, it may be desirable to retain a human element even in low skilled occupations. Until such a time that robots can pass as humans, real people are still needed in low skill jobs.
Productivity
Productivity is a definite advantage seen when implementing autonomous machinery. These machines are efficient and save costs for businesses. Tenere is a manufacturing company which required workers to feed aluminium sheets into a disk drive, at a rate of 1,760 per shift. As robots were introduced, the company can now complete 3,032 per shift, a productivity increase of over 72%. Discussing this, Sheridan (2017) makes the point that robots can allow businesses to save money because they don’t introduce many of the financial costs humans entail. Such costs include sick pay, annual leave, or superannuation, as well as more problems associated with being reliability, training and staff retention. After all, humans are not always on time and many want to switch occupations, or employers, over their lifetime.
Safety
Although automation can improve safety by performing dangerous and strenuous tasks, it can present new safety challenges. Figure Three displays the work-related injuries and illnesses suffered due to occupation, with technicians and trade workers the most affected. It is agreed that automation can decrease the risk of lifting injuries and minimise the risk of falls and managing worker fatigue. However, autonomous robots may pose newer risks to people’s safety.
Figure Three: Share of people who experienced a work-related injury or illness, by occupation groups of sex. (ABS, 2018)
In the United Stated 33 deaths or injuries have been reported due to robots at work, in the past three decades (Kobie, 2015). ‘Many robot accidents do not occur under normal operating conditions but instead, during programming’ according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). In many situations the robots can be quite large and consist of several parts as seen in Figure Four. According to the OSHA, there are 7 sources of hazards when working with robots: Human Errors, Control Errors, Unauthorised Access, Mechanical Failures, Environmental Sources, Power Systems, and Improper Installation. Therefore, it’s important to re-explore conceptions of workplace safety, while realising that automation will not immediately eliminate humans completely from these environments. As humans remain employed alongside robots, there are real and emerging risks that need to be considered. Consequently, automation is not risk free, even if it gives the impression of reducing some risks.
Figure Four: : Industrial Robots: Major Components – (OSHA, n.d)
Overall Perspective
Automated robots can play a vital role in shaping society by providing new opportunities, increasing production, and improving aspects of safety. Inevitably, automation may be the future for workplaces, so the effects of job loss or the need to re-skill employees should be considered before implementing autonomous robots. Workplaces must be safe, and people must continue to be employed in some manner. For the full potential of autonomous robots to come into fruition, there needs to be cohesion between the government, employers and employees. New systems must assure employees that robots are assisting society, their workplace, and undertaking their unwanted jobs, not eliminating them. This will decrease anxieties, drive innovation, maintain employment, and connect communities, all while acknowledging some very real dangers we will face along the way.
References
Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2019). 6333.0 – Characteristics of Employment, Australia, August 2019. https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/6333.0
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2018). 6324.0 – Work-Related Injuries, Australia, Jul 2017 to Jun 2018. https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/productsbyCatalogue/7EBF2FCCABAB02C3CA256AE2007DBCEF?OpenDocument
Bekey, G. (2005). Autonomous Robots: from biological inspiration to implementation and control. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.
Brown, A. S. (2016). ROBOTS AT WORK WHERE DO WE FIT? Mechanical Engineering, 138, 32-37.
Dahlin, E. (2019). Are Robots Stealing Our Jobs? Socius, 5, 1-11.
Friedland, D.S., Price, R.H. & Vinokur, A.D. (1998). Job Loss: Hard Times and Eroded Identity. Perspectives on Loss: A sourcebook, 303-316. https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/ricprice/wp-content/uploads/sites/381/2016/04/Job-Loss-Hard-times-and-eroded-identity-1998-Price-Friedland-Vinokur.pdf
Kobie, N. (2015). Are robots really going to take your job? PC Pro, (245), 124-125. https://gateway.library.qut.edu.au/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1667166747?accountid=13380
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (n.d). Industrial Robots and Robot System Safety. https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iv/otm_iv_4.html
Sheridan, K. (2017). Meet your new co-workers - robots: 9 key factors contributing to this burgeoning trend. Talent Acquisition Excellence Essentials.
Sprinkle, T. (2017). ROBOTICS: THE SOFTWARE STAGE IS HERE. Mechanical Engineering, 139, 12-12,26.
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