It’s becoming increasingly clear that the tech revolution is moving faster than anyone
expected.
For many, automation has made life easier; cars can be built in a few hours rather than
a few weeks, money can be dispensed from ATMs at any time of day, you can even check yourself
out of a grocery store without human interaction.
At the forefront of this technological shift is none other than one of the most technologically
advanced countries in the world: Japan.
While a number of physical jobs are already being phased out in favor of automation, the
next big plateau is replacing positions which require critical thinking, something believed
to be unique to humans.
But some companies in Japan are making the change with the help of artificial intelligence.
Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance is firing 34 workers whose job it is to calculate how much
to pay out for insurance claims.
In their place will be an AI system based on an information analysis machine created
by IBM.
Although the initial cost of the machine is high, roughly 1.7 million dollars, the company
believes it will save more than a million dollars a year.
And Fukoku is not the only company in Japan looking to replace its mental workforce.
At least three other similar companies are looking into AI systems to replace intermediaries
between the customer and the product.
And that kind of makes sense considering that Japan’s population is dropping.
From 2010 to 2015 the country lost almost one million people, with a dramatically low
birth rate.
And nearly a third of the population is over the age of 65.
And while humans are dwindling, the ability to automate jobs in Japan is only improving.
Japan has one of the highest robot-to-human worker densities in the world, with roughly
one robot for every five workers.
One data analysis found that artificial intelligence and robots could replace roughly half of the
jobs in Japan just within the next ten to twenty years.
Around the world, the same rush to automate is ongoing.
Reports by the World Economic Forum show that as many as 7 million jobs will be lost to
robots in just the next five years in the top 15 countries, which comprise more than
half of the world’s workforce.
Although every industry would see job loss, it would mostly be concentrated in areas like
healthcare, energy, and financial services, and in particular, office administration will
likely see the biggest hit.
Even today, jobs are dropping off at an alarming rate.
On the other hand, certain jobs, in particular, skilled person-to-person careers such as therapy,
social services, and perhaps ironically, jobs like data analysis, will likely be safe, and
even increase in demand.
These first few efforts in Japan may be new, but illustrate a dramatic shift worldwide
which, for many, is worrisome.
If robots are able to replicate human intelligence, what else is on the table for replacement?
Music?
Poetry?
These activities may seem safe from automation, but there are already signs that is not the
case.
Computers are already composing music, and twitter bots are creating complex poems.
In the end, Japan may not just be leading the way for automation of certain jobs, but
perhaps, the automation of humanity.
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So what else is being lost in this move to automate everything?
Some people are struggling to find work in non-automated areas, others have given up
trying entirely.
So, what exactly is slowing new job seekers, and what will happen going forward?
Find out in this episode.
In the next 10 years, less than half of 1 billion job seekers are expected to actually
find work.
Clearly this situation is terrible, but not only for young people, but the world economy
as a whole.
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