AI and robotics will transform work, but at what cost?
- The rise of AI and robotics is transforming the workforce, with potential for both benefits and challenges.
- Companies like Tesla and Amazon are integrating AI and robotics, raising questions about the future of work and wages.
- There is a debate about the potential impact of AI on jobs, with some experts predicting job losses and others suggesting a shorter workweek.
- The focus on economic efficiency should not come at the expense of human values and well-being.
I must admit, I bailed on Kentucky. The last few weeks were just too cold, and I went to Arizona. I was still in a deeply red state where many of the residents sighed in relief on Trump being reelected. Many feel immigrants are taking jobs and support mass deportations. I can tell you I have seen many cabs on the road and not a single one is being driven by an American citizen. I’m sure of that. In fact, immigrants are also not driving them. No one is. They are just driving themselves, picking up and delivering passengers. I’m not kidding. That is what is happening. Artificial intelligence and driverless cars have arrived.
In my old age, I felt I had nothing to lose, so I decided to ride in one. The cab worked flawlessly, even going around a large parked semi-truck before starting the ride. A human still was monitoring the cabs. On the road, there was not a human driven taxi in sight, but these robotic cabs were seemingly everywhere. In actuality, these cabs offered significant advantages for those who have concerns regarding potential harassment and even the spread of infectious disease.
The Taco Bell in Scottsdale is also becoming automated. Not a cash register in sight, you are asked to place an order using the kiosk. Yes, you may feel threatened by work competition from immigrants, but a greater concern is how humans are going to compete with AI and robotics. The World Economic Forum, reports that 41% of employers intend to downsize their workforce with AI. Unlike previous reports, the 2024 edition did not project a “net positive” effect on total jobs.
MAGA companies and AI
At the same time, our workforce is aging, unemployment is low at 4% and immigrant workers are being deported, all of which will maximize potential profits for AI robotic companies.
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During the inauguration, the picture of the tech multi-billionaire titans behind President Trump is seared in my memory. Most assumed it was their control of social media which was so important, but I would argue it is AI and robotics that earned them a front row seat. In 2020, President Trump referred to Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Apple as “MAGA” companies.
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AI robotics has unbelievable potential to transform the world we live in. Humanoid robotics can assist the disabled and help alleviate the crisis in eldercare. The increase in efficiency and productivity by AI can help achieve a shorter work week. Some are predicting to 3.5 days.
Tesla is rapidly developing their Optimus humanoid robot and is planning to integrate it into its workforce this year. Amazon, Open AI and Nvidia are developing a competing humanoid robot by investing in a private company, Figure AI. However, attempts at further business and power consolidation are taking place with Elon Musk reportedly offering $97.4 billion to purchase Open AI, the United States’ premier artificial intelligence company and maker of ChatGPT.
Will there be layoffs as companies like Tesla, Amazon fully integrate AI?
The first true test of our future will be as major companies such as Tesla and Amazon fully integrate AI and robotics. Will workers continue to be employed with a shortened work week and maintain their salary, or will there be layoffs to increase corporate profitability? Promises of a reduced work week as AI and robotics integrate into our workforce have been dashed with the recent proclamation from high-tech industrial leaders proposing work weeks of 70 and 90 hours. The times of India reported that Musk is reported to have suggested that there should be a 120-hour human work week.
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Maximum efficiency has its downsides, especially when a very small segment of our society is reaping the rewards.
We must ask ourselves what is our country about to become and what do we cherish the most? Is it really all about our jobs and making sure the corporation we work for achieves record profits year after year? Do we continue to achieve this economic efficiency even at the cost of directly harming others? Should we stop clinical trials midstream, regardless of the impact on patients; or dismantle our best tools for stopping pandemics, including suppressing information regarding the bird flu, which is devastating our food supply and on the verge of infecting humans? I fear this disregard for human life may become a slippery slope to far greater atrocities.
Instead, shouldn’t we view our work as a means of achieving our country’s values of helping others, raising our children, and serving as an example for others in the world to emulate?
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Kevin Kavanagh is a retired physician from Somerset, Kentucky, and chairman of Health Watch USA.
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