
Whose Jobs Will Robots Take?
Dr Vernon Coleman
It is a myth, enthusiastically accepted, supported and promoted by the intellectual classes, that the only people whose lives are threatened by robots are blue collar workers. While it is obviously true that most factory workers will find themselves replaced by robots (something that has been happening for decades) and that most administrators and bureaucrats will be replaced by computers, the people who are most at risk at losing their jobs are those in the professions. It is difficult to see why there would be any need for doctors or lawyers in a decade’s time. Computers make excellent diagnosticians and robots can perform even complicated surgery more effectively and more speedily (and with fewer deaths) than human surgeons. Now that doctors and nurses have abandoned their caring role and taken on a colder, clinical approach to their work it is even more certain that they will be replaced by robots which (or who) can be trained to be compassionate, thoughtful, considerate and caring. As for lawyers? Well, even a modestly sized computer will be able to hold more legal information than any bewigged head and there can be no doubt that it will not be long before robots will replace solicitors, barristers and judges. Teachers too have no professional future. Teaching will be done online. The world will need one geography teacher, one history teacher, one mathematics teacher and so on. The rest will either be retrained or simply made redundant. On the other hand there are some jobs which it will be difficult to replace. Plumbers, able to struggle under sinks and behind lavatories, and electricians, capable of wriggling along in lofts, will remain in demand for some time. I suspect that other building and renovation specialities will remain in the hands of humans.
Copyright Vernon Coleman March 2nd 2021
Vernon Coleman’s book Bloodless Revolution explains why a world without political parties would be better in every way – and includes two dozen life changing things we can do when we’ve got rid of them. Bloodless Revolution is available as a paperback and an eBook.
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