The technological development of robots is growing faster and faster. Every year there are numerous developments in the technology. In the early 70s the mobile phone was born, but who would imagine that a mobile phone would turn into a smartphone? No one would ever have guessed that the technology would develop at such a fast pace in the future. But nowadays we also can’t predict how technology will advance in the future. But the technology is already here, step by step. From automatically ordering fast food to driverless cars.
All that technology, will it replace humanity in the future? Isn’t it already starting to take over our jobs? We did some research on the fascinating, but at the same time, terrifying topic.
We can all agree that in the last 10 years, technology has taken the modern world by storm. There have been countless developments throughout the years. The question is now, how far will it go? Are robots going to be a threat to humans? The answer to that question is somewhat yes. Jobs that only require a high school degree, are definitely at risk. Like cashiers and shelf fillers. However, robots are not only interfering with ‘easy’ jobs but also in the healthcare sector. The difference is that in the healthcare sector, they won’t replace humans, but rather support the employees. An example of this is the 8-arm robot used to make operations easier in hospitals in Berlin.
We come across this in our day-to-day life more than you probably think or notice. For example the easy order option at McDonald’s, you can now order your own food on a touchscreen. Usually, you would have had to order at the counter. The same is evident in airports, where you now drop your own bag off through the use of self-assistance machines. The list of examples goes on. Another example, are startups like CiteeCar or DriveNow. These companies allow you to rent cars at your fingertips, by using an App on your smartphone. In the past when you wanted to rent a car you had to go to an office and wait to be assisted by a member of staff.
Amazon have taken this self-assistance concept to a whole new level. They’ve opened a new sort of convenience store. Customers walk in, scan their phones and pick what they want. The customer can successfully walk out of the shop with their items, due to face recognition technology. This shop in Seattle doesn’t have a single employee, but only technology. And in the future, it will become increasingly more normal. In fact, scientists predict that by 2030, 800 million of our jobs will have been taken over by robots.
Also, an excellent example of new technology is Pepper. Pepper is a robot developed by Softbank Robotics. She’s a personal assistant and is nice to talk to. Not only is she programmed to be nice company but also to undertake useful tasks. Pepper can remember your appointments, have a conversation with you and even dance! Below is a movie of Pepper dancing in the McKinsey Experience Studio.
Nevertheless, don’t forget all about the Smart Cities. Smart Cities are the future and there is a lot going on in this branch. Berlin is becoming more and more of a smart city every day and offers a lot of tools as proof. Additionally, the concept of E-Government is becoming increasingly popular. Startups are developing systems to make the bureaucracy of cities easier. A prime example for this is AiRelo! We offer services to make the city registration easier. We help you through all the questions and send you the completed form. On top of that, seeing as many expats in Berlin struggle with the German language, AiRelo can speak over 10 different languages!
So robots are taking over our future, to make our life easier. But does this mean that they will replace us all one day? If you want to search which jobs are mostly at risk of getting replaced you can visit this website. You can search for almost every job and it will give you a percentage of what the chance is that it will be taken over.