Robots Won't Kill You, But They Will Take Your Job

Fear of a robot uprising is ridiculous nonsense, at least for anyone alive today.

There may be some existing robots that can fake being thoughtful—an advanced ELIZA sort of thing. But you are kidding yourself if you think real robo-intelligence is going to happen anytime soon. Just because a smart speaker tube from Amazon can set a timer does not mean it is "thinking."

The real problem is robots taking jobs, especially in manufacturing, where repetitive activity is involved. It is not because robots want your job. Employers want them because they save money, especially when it comes to pensions.

Some robotic functions are developed for convenience, yes, but most are designed to replace human labor. When I was young, I worked on assembly lines. The pay was great, but we all thought machines would one day take over.

AEI fellow, CNBC correspondent, JAMES PETHOKOUKIS

In the sixth grade, I recall being told that someday all the grunt labor would be replaced by smart robots that would free us from toil. In some utopian sense, the wealth created by the new robot-run system would be shared and we could all get rich and find something else to do, like watch TV all day.

This is never going to happen. The real model is quite different. The worst-case scenario is one guy with a lot of money or great financing buys 100 robots to make an inexpensive widget. The efficiency is better than the other widget factories and they all go out of business, leaving our entrepreneur and his robots cranking out the widgets. He ends up making billions, disposes of the competition, and keeps the money for himself.

If you ask how this model is good for society, you are told that the free market works this way and you should shut up about it, commie!

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These same people often extol others to "get a job," even as there are demonstrably fewer and fewer actual jobs to be had. Even robot repair will at some point be performed by robots.

Eventually, the actual jobs that can be had will only be managerial and engineering. Managerial jobs will then dwindle as there will be fewer workers to manage. Engineering can eventually be replaced by A.I.

This situation is far more urgent and problematic than algorithm-driven robot cops or murderous autonomous drones. Fretting about science-fiction-inspired killer machines that might turn against us at any minute is beyond silly. It ignores the actual threat to the economy and society: the displacement of the workforce by robots. This is already underway and appears to be unstoppable.

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