Humans are Replaced by Robots, is It Real? 👀

HUMANS ARE REPLACED BY ROBOTS, IS IT REAL? 

(Free Image on Pixabay - Artificial Intelligence, Robot, Ai, n.d.)

The world is now in the peak of the 4.0 industrial revolution, with machines that can do many human tasks. It does not even rule out, machines can do better human tasks than humans themselves. Future revolutions will not only promise greater efficiencies and cheaper services, they will also lead to massive human job losses. Many people think that with the robot technology revolution, the role of humans can be replaced by robots.

The use of information technology is currently a necessity in the world of work, which is included in the global north point. Global north is a designation of the concept in both private and government organizations (Eurofound, 2018). The global north concept requires individuals and organizations to adapt to existing technological developments and be comfortable at work. Utilization of information technology also penetrates Correctional Institutions. A robot is a set of mechanical devices programmed by a computer and controlled by humans, while also being able to perform physical tasks. The shape can also resemble a human. However, most robots are designed to perform tasks, regardless of their physical form. In addition, currently many companies are also using artificial intelligence (AI), as part of robotics. AI has now been considered as a very interesting field in the world of robotics. Robots can indeed work off the assembly line. But the intelligence of the robot can not be ascertained.

This increasingly sophisticated technology seems to have many positive and negative impacts, where the positive impact can be seen that with the existence of sophisticated technology it encourages people to work more easily, employees do not need to make a big effort because there is already technology that can help them so their work becomes faster, aka effective and efficient by producing maximum output compared to before. Increasingly sophisticated technology also maximizes employee performance because someone helps them in their work thereby minimizing the occurrence of "Human Error", for example, in the past people made financial reports manually, of course it was very complicated, but now with so many applications that make it easier for employees to make financial reports more easily. easy so it doesn't take much time. But behind all that, there is a negative impact lurking where companies no longer employ many people, where companies will only hire people to operate machines, so this will also reduce costs incurred to pay employees, so that only selected employees can survive, for example. technologically literate employees because if an employee is technologically literate they will provide maximum performance compared to those who do not understand.

Currently, the use of information technology has developed in the correctional sector and the benefits are already visible, especially during the Covid-19 Pandemic. In Indonesia, for example, to avoid the spread of Covid-19, physical visit services have been changed to virtual visiting services via video calls, trials are carried out via video conferencing facilities and several office activities are carried out virtually via the zoom application. This is not only done in Indonesia but also by many countries in the world, such as Australia, America and European countries.

An interesting phenomenon related to information technology is the replacement of humans with robots. But, is it true that humans can be replaced by robots? In the report of the World Economic Forum, robots, automation and AI will be able to replace human jobs. The number is no joke, namely 85 million in 2025 (Adams, 2021). One of the jobs that are threatened with being replaced is civil servants, for example when processing Identity Cards and matters related to One-Stop Manunggal Administration System. The trend of autonomous vehicles also threatens to replace the jobs of drivers with machines. Other jobs that will be replaced by robots are information collectors, analysts and researchers. In addition, the self-checkout set by several stores makes the human position behind the cash register also threatened.

The banking industry is likely to experience the same thing. Positions that might be shifted are tellers and bank employees. We may have felt this at this time, because there are e-banking applications that make people transact via gadgets. No longer going to a branch and meeting with bank employees.

While there are jobs being lost or shifted by robots, there is another side to this trend. There will be new jobs emerging because of these changes, namely creating 97 million new jobs in the future. Elon Musk has spoken about the development of AI technology. But he said there are some jobs that are still safe even though AI continues to improve. One that will have a bright future is work related to software and AI itself. Elon Musk calls safe jobs those who create software or AI programs and those that involve the participation or engineering of people, quoted from BGR (Gilchrist, 2019).

Quoting Ian Ferguson at Lynx Software Technologies, robots have unique powers and have never been beaten by humans. One of them is a robot that can be programmed to be strong, precise and fast, and has no emotions or feels strong (Lynx Software Technologies, 2021). The Gupta (2021) page writes, but there are things that robots cannot fulfill, for example humanity. Some jobs require the five human senses, namely sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Like teaching, it may be possible to replace robots but the humanitarian department will still be needed to connect with students.

It is clear that the existence of technological advances has basically made it easier for humans and industry players who must think quickly and creatively to keep up with the times. Despite the overwhelming fear that technology will one day replace some people's jobs, digitization will actually create more jobs and opportunities for underutilized industry talent. In this case, I express my disagreement that humans can be replaced by robots because robots are deemed unable to be accurate enough in doing the job like doctors in general. Moreover, robots cannot be trusted to replace human touch, where the patient is a human. If it is forced, there is fear that there will be errors in practice in the world of health.

Companies that already use robots, of course, already understand about human safety. Therefore, all of the technology must be supported by safety technology in order to protect humans around the robot. Work safety technology is guided by basic principles. One of them is the principle of separation. This is the principle that drives separation, or ensuring there is no overlap between robotic and human work areas. But as more and more robots replace jobs previously performed by humans, some overlap seems inevitable.

This requires company policy in maintaining the safety of its human workers. Ideally, humans and robots are able to work together, while still prioritizing safety for humans. In the future, the composition of the workforce will not only be dominated by humans, robots or machines and artificial intelligence algorithms will also participate in enlivening the future job market. Although there are certainly many workers who are at risk of losing their jobs due to the inclusion of machines and artificial intelligence in the labor market mix, on the other hand new jobs will emerge that require new skills and competencies.

So that in a world with very fast changes, every laborer or worker must improve their skills and abilities so they can compete in an increasingly competitive job market in the future. Apart from that, it is very important to prepare children from an early age to master the needs of the current era of mechanization and digitalization. Robots are synonymous with process automation. Which processes should not be done manually or replaced by robots?

a.     Processes that are dangerous or contain high risks. For example the process of casting metal, glass, moving heavy goods, etc.

b.     Process that requires skill and high quality results. For example, car body welding

c.     The process requires high speed. For example, the process of filling soft drinks.

In essence, robots replace humans if the work is difficult or dangerous if done by humans. So that if there is a risk, the one who will suffer is the robot. This is none other than to humanize humans.

It is undeniable that there are a number of jobs that robots can handle better than humans. Here it is certainly not taking over all human work, on the contrary, robots must be able to assist human work and there is a guarantee of safety when they work together. Companies that already use robots, of course, already understand about human safety. Therefore, all of the technology must be supported by safety technology in order to protect humans around the robot. Work safety technology is guided by basic principles. One of them is the principle of separation. This is the principle that drives separation, or ensuring there is no overlap between robotic and human work areas. But as more and more robots replace jobs previously performed by humans, some overlap seems inevitable. This requires company policy in maintaining the safety of its human workers. Ideally, humans and robots are able to work together, while still prioritizing the safety factor for humans.

References

Adams, R. D. (2021). Yes, robots are coming for your job, but you might like the new one more (if you’re still employed). Tech Republic. Retrieved from https://www.techrepublic.com/article/yes-robots-are-coming-for-your-job-but-you-might-like-the-new-one-more-if-youre-still-employed/