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Smarter Than Hum Why Robots Will- And Must Take Our Jobs

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Albert Einstein declared “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” It is important to remember that Einstein said this long before all of the technological developments we know today. If he could see how far we have progressed, his proclamation would most likely be even more urgent. Many people share the fear of technology overtaking humans. Two authors, Clive Thompson, who wrote “Smarter than You Think” and Kevin Kelly, who wrote “Better than Human: Why Robots Will- and Must-Take Our Jobs,” have an optimistic view regarding the role of technology in the future. Although they use different reasoning, both Thompson and Kelly assert collaboration between humans and technology is necessary to maximize …show more content…

Currently, there are jobs that robots can do better than humans, such as weaving and car manufacturing (Kelly 306). Again, when those machines first came to fruition, they eliminated human jobs, but then created jobs. Additionally, there are jobs that humans simply cannot do without robots such as making computer chips (Kelly 306). Looking toward the future, Kelly concludes that if we collaborate with machines and allow them to take over, we will “let them help us dream up new work that matters” (Kelly 312). Although Kelly makes persuasive points, critics can find flaws in his argument. One criticism of Kelly’s argument could be that much of his argument is based on hypothetical premises. For instance, he states “70% of today’s occupations will likewise be replaced by automation” (Kelly 300). While there is no concrete evidence to back up this claim that exactly 70% of jobs will be overtaken, the point remains the same that occupations are continuing to be replaced by automation. Whether it is ten, twenty, or one hundred percent, is irrelevant. His main point that people will need to learn to collaborate with robots in order to be successful still stands true. Additionally, people may say that if robots take over all of our manual labor jobs, people who have lower education or intellect will have

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