Photo: Screenshot from cnbc
We’re still at a point where we look at robots candidly, as though they’re just some tools we can decide when we need or not. We have the remote control and can use the “power” button at will.
But the truth is we’re in a much greater danger than we realize. The robots don’t have to develop super-powerful artificial intelligence to become a threat to the common man: it’s enough if they can do the one thing well enough, and we could soon be in a world of pain.
We’ve always imagined the robots will be taking over with guns and explosions, but it appears all they need is a tablet instead of a head and a pair of friendly eyes. What robots are beginning to do is steal the humans’ jobs. It all started on the assembly lines, but they are now becoming more and more versatile. Soon enough, the only jobs where people will still be needed will be those involving creativity one way or the other.
Take Xuan-xuan, for example. This robot is helping senior Singapore citizens conduct their workout routines, as the population there is confronting with a rapid aging process and the numerous associated fitness issues this brings along.
The thing is that the number of old people is so great that finding enough fitness instructors is starting to become a problem. At least, that’s what the official story says, the one reported by CNBC. In reality, you can’t help but look at Xuan-xuan and wonder how much it costs. It’s made out of plexiglass panels, a tablet for a head, a larger screen on its chest and a few electric motors to move its limbs.
The design was clearly not a priority, and so the cost for such a robot could be covered by negating the salary of an employee for a few months - OK, maybe a year. What’s more, the robot won’t ask for a raise and presuming it has a decent cooling system, it can work for hours without stopping. Until such a thing as a “Society for Robot Welfare” exists, nobody will be asking the employer to cut down on the poor robot’s working hours.
It’s hard to argue against the use of simple robots such as Xuan-xuan, especially since the elderly seem to enjoy its company and it has good results to show for itself. Like, for instance, 89-year-old Chan Yit Yoong who couldn’t bend her fingers before the robot came along, and now only has difficulties with her indexes.
It’s hard to imagine how finding people for certain jobs can be difficult when the global population is on a constant rise, but it looks like - at least in some corners of the world - it is. But Xuan-xuan aims to do more than just tend for the old people’s joints: it wants to also teach seniors how to use technology, and thus help them achieve a better integration in the world they’re living in. Oh, great, there goes another job...
We’ve always imagined the robots will be taking over with guns and explosions, but it appears all they need is a tablet instead of a head and a pair of friendly eyes. What robots are beginning to do is steal the humans’ jobs. It all started on the assembly lines, but they are now becoming more and more versatile. Soon enough, the only jobs where people will still be needed will be those involving creativity one way or the other.
Take Xuan-xuan, for example. This robot is helping senior Singapore citizens conduct their workout routines, as the population there is confronting with a rapid aging process and the numerous associated fitness issues this brings along.
The thing is that the number of old people is so great that finding enough fitness instructors is starting to become a problem. At least, that’s what the official story says, the one reported by CNBC. In reality, you can’t help but look at Xuan-xuan and wonder how much it costs. It’s made out of plexiglass panels, a tablet for a head, a larger screen on its chest and a few electric motors to move its limbs.
The design was clearly not a priority, and so the cost for such a robot could be covered by negating the salary of an employee for a few months - OK, maybe a year. What’s more, the robot won’t ask for a raise and presuming it has a decent cooling system, it can work for hours without stopping. Until such a thing as a “Society for Robot Welfare” exists, nobody will be asking the employer to cut down on the poor robot’s working hours.
It’s hard to argue against the use of simple robots such as Xuan-xuan, especially since the elderly seem to enjoy its company and it has good results to show for itself. Like, for instance, 89-year-old Chan Yit Yoong who couldn’t bend her fingers before the robot came along, and now only has difficulties with her indexes.
It’s hard to imagine how finding people for certain jobs can be difficult when the global population is on a constant rise, but it looks like - at least in some corners of the world - it is. But Xuan-xuan aims to do more than just tend for the old people’s joints: it wants to also teach seniors how to use technology, and thus help them achieve a better integration in the world they’re living in. Oh, great, there goes another job...
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