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The Robots Taking the Jobs Industry

Darat said:
I think the big change is going to be jobs that have wrongly be considered "skilled" for a long time, when what they have been is "information deep". The example I would give is general practitioners, they need to know a lot but don't require any great level of skill, these are areas in which "AI" is already surpassing what trained and experienced humans can do. As an example: https://venturebeat.com/2018/10/12/...curacy-in-metastatic-breast-cancer-detection/
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What is the difference between skilled and "information deep"? In your answer please define both terms. I might comment on the above post once you have done that.

In the meantime I cannot think of many skilled jobs that do not require large knowledge. Maybe something like typing? But most people could learn good typing skills in a short time.
 
rjh01 said:
What is the difference between skilled and "information deep"? In your answer please define both terms. I might comment on the above post once you have done that.



In the meantime I cannot think of many skilled jobs that do not require large knowledge. Maybe something like typing? But most people could learn good typing skills in a short time.
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Thought I had defined it, but I'll have another go. To become a Dr you need to gain a huge amount of information so you can use a decision tree to come to the right diagnosis. But there is no particular skill in that, so thats an information deep profession. Whereas a skilled person would be someone who could for example hand turn a custom replacement part for an 1890s steam engine.
 
Darat said:
Thought I had defined it, but I'll have another go. To become a Dr you need to gain a huge amount of information so you can use a decision tree to come to the right diagnosis. But there is no particular skill in that, so thats an information deep profession. Whereas a skilled person would be someone who could for example hand turn a custom replacement part for an 1890s steam engine.
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I don't like this explanation much. What about a doctor making a diagnosis compared to a surgeon as examples. A significant proportion of diagnosis is accumulating recent data on the illneses currently in the area (colds, flue, measles etc) so i do see that as a good example.

For the steam engine i thing this could be automated either by using drawings or a scanning technology and then manufacturing. But at present using a skilled technician would be cheaper for a one off item.
 
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rjh01 said:
Was given a Google Mini and we use it to play music from YouTube Music. It is only a cheap device so do not expect it to be able to do much. Though it should be able to answer basic questions from the Web.
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That was what surprised me. Yes, the device itself is cheap, but it's hooked up to Google.
 
Darat said:
Thought I had defined it, but I'll have another go. To become a Dr you need to gain a huge amount of information so you can use a decision tree to come to the right diagnosis. But there is no particular skill in that, so thats an information deep profession. Whereas a skilled person would be someone who could for example hand turn a custom replacement part for an 1890s steam engine.
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That would not leave many jobs safe. Take the example of a surgeon. If something goes wrong then the surgeon needs to rely on past experience to come up with a solution. A computer can do the same thing. The computer has the advantage that they can be performing many operations all at the same time, thus gaining experience at a very rapid rate. So teach computers how to do basic operations and very soon you will have all operations done by computers. Then most surgeons would be out of a job.

Even better, a human makes a discovery, the computer can be taught it very quickly and then apply it to all relevant situations.

About the only time a human would be better would be when experience does not matter. They need to come up with an original idea. This is very rare. Then humans would be left with the job of being an interface with the computer. A future doctor would not know much medicine, but would know how to perform tests, like how to take blood pressure. They would also be very good at active listening. Though you could also be talking to a computer about your symptoms. The computer may then tell you to see a 'doctor'. Or maybe it could offer a diagnosis on the spot. This 'doctor' would then perform the required tests as instructed by the computer. The computer would give the diagnoses and what treatment is required. Of course this computer would be able to pass the Turing test.
 
Brainster said:
That was what surprised me. Yes, the device itself is cheap, but it's hooked up to Google yet cannot use Chrome to answer a question.
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I fixed your post for you.

If I use my iPad I can ask it a question and it will search the web for me and give me answers based on the search. When say ask I mean I use my voice. This does not happen with my Google mini.
 
It seems like the only part of "robots taking our jobs" that would be a problem for most is the second half of the sentence, no?
An idealists' view of utopia might very well include machines producing food, performing complex medical procedures with precision unattainable by humans, umpiring baseball games with a perfectly consistent strike zone, enabling safe transport of people and goods across distances, etc...etc....
What that same idealist might not see as 'utopian' is a society wherein those machines are owned and controlled by a small percentage of people not beholden to "the masses" in any enforceable sense. Leaving them as little more than serfs in some neo-feudal dystopia, with nothing upon which to trade to try and better their circumstances except their dignity.
When looked at from that perspective the focus of the debate shifts to the murky realms of "private property" and its role (if any) in such a society.
 
As I talked about earlier I think it's just a simpler, more basic fact that a post-scarcity world is a lot easier to imagine living in then a transitory period into a post-scarcity world.
 
The Google home is the base model. They are both microphones using the same interface.

Google Home is supposed to be fairly conversational
 
rjh01 said:
That is good. You have the next model up. I have a google mini. This does not have a screen. You have a Google home. This does have a screen. And maybe extra brain power. Though I have not looked that up.
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The Google Home doesn't have a screen, that's the latest device, the Google Home Hub.
 
The problem with the "robots taking over our jobs" attitude is how incredibly short-sighted it is, and mired in wave-slavery.

The technology currently exists to allow humans to begin the move toward a post-scarcity, universal-income society, but no one in a position to do so seems to have the political will to start that process. Their power base is still heavily dependent on maintaining the status quo, promoting ignorance, prejudice, and superstition. This is just as true on the left as it is on the right, and in almost every other part of the political spectrum.
 
The Department of Jobs and small business has just put out a report about what jobs and industries will grow in the next 5 years in Australia. They listed 6 broad job categories and I have sorted them by growth (fastest growing first, shrinking last)

COMMUNITY AND PERSONAL SERVICE WORKERS
PROFESSIONALS
MANAGERS
TECHNICIANS AND TRADES WORKERS
LABOURERS
MACHINERY OPERATORS AND DRIVERS
SALES WORKERS
CLERICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE WORKERS

Full reports here http://lmip.gov.au/default.aspx?LMIP/EmploymentProjections
 
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