“For
a country like ours, that poses a huge challenge because what are our
universities going to be teaching people to do when a lot of the things that
you previously would hire people to do will be done cheaper, better, faster,
and more reliably by robots and AI systems....”
Professor
of sustain-able development at the University of the West Indies Anthony
Clayton commenting on the coming of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its effect
on Jamaica.
In
the next 5 to 10 years, artificially intelligent robots will usher in the
Fourth Industrial Revolution, taking way jobs from Jamaicans.
So
says Professor of sustain-able development at the University of the West Indies
Anthony Clayton, l who says it'll have a really bad effect on Jamaica as noted
in the article “Replaced
By Robots - University Professor Warns Of Massive Job Losses When The Fourth
Industrial Revolution Takes Place”, Published Sunday January 21, 2018 by
Jason Cross, The Jamaica Gleaner.
Currently
robotic systems powered by AI are restricted in what they can learn and do as
pointed out by Dr. Clayton, quote: “There are actually a few things that the
new robotic and AI systems cannot do faster, more accurately, and cheaper than
humans. This includes a lot of service sector activities. Even in medicine, an
area you would think could not be automated, there are AI systems now that are
more accurate at diagnosing illness than any human being”.
But
when they do, cheaper mass produced items will be coming from the First World
Nations, who will use AI to wean themselves off a dependence on cheap Chinese
products. But in the process, it'll push Developing World Countries like
Jamaica into poverty, as we cannot compete with machines that can do the job of
a human at a high quality level and at such a low cost.
AI
will mainly disrupt jobs that are repetitive and dangerous such as fast food
workers as noted in my blog article
entitled “Fast
Food Robot taking over by 2017 - How Drones like Amazon and PrimeAir and not
Humanoid Robots will be the first Robots by 2015”.
Vehicular
transportation might also be affected, as Taxis may be driven by AI, who may be
deemed more efficient than humans to quote Dr Clayton: “Look at vehicles and
the move to driverless vehicles and how many millions of jobs are going to be
displaced, and it has already started. A number of countries, including the
USA, the United Kingdom, and others are changing their laws to allow driverless
vehicles on the roads. Countries are preparing for this new technological
revolution”.
So
what can we do to prepare for this coming Fourth Industrial Revolution powered
by AI?
Fourth Industrial
Revolution powered by AI - Dr. Clayton predicts Job losses as Degrees become
pointless
Many
will question the relevance of a University education, as AI can do the work
better as pointed out by Dr. Clayton:
“What are we going to educate people for? People go to school to learn
basic reading and numeracy skills, but after that, what are people getting an
education for? Getting an education is, basically, for them to be absorbed into
the employment market”.
This
video below explains it all and makes the coming reality even more stark.
Already,
we are in the early part of the AI revolution, with many working in Jobs that
have already been made obsolete; it's really just a matter of time, Dr. Clayton
asserts, quote: “It is a profound revolution. We are, potentially, going into a
world where most existing forms of work will disappear. I do not doubt that we
will invent new and worthwhile things to do. I am sure that people will be
getting paid for doing jobs that do not currently exist”.
When
AI becomes fully sentient, they may need to have rights just like humans as
well.
As
such, they'll have the right to work and earn a living. No job will be spared,
especially as with the proliferation of the Internet and so many interconnected
databases, the stage is set for AI to really dominate the world as predicted by
Dr. Clayton, quote: “AI systems are taking over banking, medicine, and
accounting, and we are only at the edge of what these things can do.
Jobs
losses will be in millions, making many question the value of a University
education, to quote Dr. Clayton: When you come to university, we try to fill
your head with knowledge and understanding, but let's say that you have access
to an AI system that gives you instant access to outstanding data analytic
services to all of the world's libraries, what will you still need to know at
university when you can ask your AI system any question and get an instant
answer and get analysis behind it as well? There will be the question of why
anybody would go to university when the jobs we used to train people for will
cease to exist”.
Jobs
that require a combination of skills that will include analytic skills and
social intelligence maybe the only way to have employment as Dr. Clayton.
argues: “You will need a combination of networking skills, social intelligence,
the ability to manage complex logistics, to analyse problems and the ability to
come with creative solutions because the full impact of it all will be felt in
20 to 30 years”.
Hopefully
that doesn’t include teaching, as it may dissuade many from entering the field
thinking that machines will take their work!
Jamaican and AI - UBI
may become the norm once AI takes over
But
all is not doom and gloom as Dr. Clayton claims.
Jamaica
will easily adjust, by simply switching to UBI (Universal Basic Income),
effectively paying Jamaicans simply to be humans and Jamaican.
This
would be possible thanks to the NIDS (National Identifications that will usher
in a cashless society as predicted in my blog article
entitled “How
NIDS coming in January 2018 means Electronic Transactions with GOJ to become
standard”.
Giving
a UBI of say, JA$100000 per month to each and every NIDS card carrying Jamaican,
would become necessary and could be funded via scrapping all of the previous
poverty alleviation programs and unnecessary Ministries of Government, which no
doubt would also become automated.
Here'
a video making the case for UBI
Additionally,
sources of funding could come from Oil Mining, which the Private Sector
Companies already have a future stake in as pointed out in my blog article
entitled “Why
Jamaican Private Sector funding Oil Exploration by Tullow Oil for US$300 per
barrel in 2020”.
Addition
all source of funding for UBI could also come from selling Hydrogen Gas
produced via offshore windfarms as predicted in my Geezam
blog article entitled “How
PCJ Offshore Windfarm may be used to export Hydrogen and Uranium”.
Truly,
AI taking away jobs is really a good thing; more time to spend with family and
friends, as cheaper AI labour means money shifting back to government to be
spend on UBI so that we can afford to live in a world without work.
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