The Robot Revolution

[Black Orchid]

MILLIONS of Australians are destined for the unemployment queue if they don’t “wake up” to the robot revolution, warns futurist Shara Evans.

Creeping automation is set to transform how we work, shop and socialise — and the changes are a lot closer than most people realise.
New research by recruitment agency Randstad reveals that 84 per cent of Australians surveyed are not concerned that automation will affect their future job prospects, while 77 per cent believe that they won’t need to change careers in the next 10 years.

But the reality was the opposite, said Ms Evans, who suggested Australians “take their heads out of the sand” and wise up to the dramatic transformation that had already begun.

“The reality is that 40 per cent of current jobs in Australia won’t exist in 10 to 15 years due to automation — that’s five million jobs gone,” she said, citing the latest report on the topic by CEDA.

“If I look at the exponential advancements in technology, it is very clear that this figure will continue to rise.”
The really scary part? It’s not future innovation that puts our jobs at risk, but existing technology that is available for use right now.

A recent report by consulting firm McKinsey found that 45 per cent of the activities people are currently paid for could be automated using currently demonstrated technologies.

Robotic checkout systems are being rolled out at convenience stores in Japan, and insurance firm Fukoku Life replaced 34 of its claims assessors with robots earlier this year.

The company laid off the workers after spending $2.36 million on a computer program that calculates payouts to policyholders, a move it said would boost productivity by 30 per cent.

Fukoku Life expected to save about $1.65 million a year on salaries with the new system, meaning it would pay itself off in less than two years.

Amazon now has 45,000 robots moving products around its cavernous warehouses, an approach that has been adopted by companies like DHL Logistics as they scramble to keep up with the e-commerce giant.

Chinese e-commerce billionaire Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, last week predicted that even chief executives like himself would see their jobs taken over by robots.

And Volvo has predicted that driverless cars will become commercially available in the next five years, a prospect that would make taxi and Uber drivers redundant.

The rise of automation is so significant that Microsoft founder Bill Gates has called for governments to impose a “robot tax” to slow down the pace of automation — a suggestion Ms Evans said was “a nice idea”, but not viable to implement.

http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/car ... de9a92609d

University and HECS changes by those who have actually benefited from the system, little or no affordable housing in some state cities and now robots taking over. What hope do future generations really have?

[skippy]

Yea I do worry about my sons generation and those that follow.
40% of current jobs gone in ten to fifteen years is scary stuff.
I know a hundred years ago we had many jobs that no longer exist but new jobs were created for humans that replaced them.
Robots doing everything may sound great except when people don't earn a living to feed them self and put a roof over their head what happens then?

[Neferti]

"They" have been talking about robots for 25 years.

Only idiots think that having a FAST INTERNET CONNECTION will be useful for the medical profession.

[LEFTWINGER supreme]

"They" have been talking about robots for 25 years.

Only idiots think that having a FAST INTERNET CONNECTION will be useful for the medical profession.

Fast internet allows people to transfer massive amounts of data allowing them to perform their jobs from home freeing up congestion on our highways and freeways , I don't have the numbers , but as the saying goes , time is money

[Super Nova]

Yea I do worry about my sons generation and those that follow.
40% of current jobs gone in ten to fifteen years is scary stuff.
I know a hundred years ago we had many jobs that no longer exist but new jobs were created for humans that replaced them.
Robots doing everything may sound great except when people don't earn a living to feed them self and put a roof over their head what happens then?

I am worried about my daughters future for the same reason.

[Outlaw Yogi]

I agree with the sentiment of the thread title/topic and even stated " ... soon robots will do everything and we'll all be on the dole" and "If I had my time again I'd join the merchant navy, but if I was starting out now, I'd get into mechatronics"

Coincidentally I've just watched (on DVD) Terminator - Genisys.

"They" have been talking about robots for 25 years.

Only idiots think that having a FAST INTERNET CONNECTION will be useful for the medical profession.

My experience of doctors in recent years is that without that net connection, they're useless ... except for writing prescriptions.
Numerous times I've gone to a quak, they've had to find out from the all mighty google, and I've thought "I could have done that myself".

[Neferti]

I agree with the sentiment of the thread title/topic and even stated " ... soon robots will do everything and we'll all be on the dole" and "If I had my time again I'd join the merchant navy, but if I was starting out now, I'd get into mechatronics"

Coincidentally I've just watched (on DVD) Terminator - Genisys.

"They" have been talking about robots for 25 years.

Only idiots think that having a FAST INTERNET CONNECTION will be useful for the medical profession.

My experience of doctors in recent years is that without that net connection, they're useless ... except for writing prescriptions.
Numerous times I've gone to a quak, they've had to find out from the all mighty google, and I've thought "I could have done that myself".

I saw my GP this afternoon. He called me in due to a "problem" with a series of blood tests I had last week. Thyroid, so nothing spectacular. Thyroxine meds prescribed, have another blood test in 6 weeks and see him again in 8 weeks. Big Deal.

Anyway, I wanted to ask about some CT scan I had 12 months ago that I had kept forgetting to ask about something that came out of it (and eventually resorted to Dr Google). So I asked him today, he had no idea what I was on about ... but he had received a copy of the CT scan, the same as I had .... eventually, as he scratched through my file, he found it. Apparently ALL my medical stuff is on his COMPUTER ... he was scrolling through the screen and I was about to jump up and grab the "mouse", when he decided to check the "hard copies". He is a good GP but starting to get too old, I think. His parting thing was "keep warm" and when I asked "why" he said "you shouldn't get a chill" ... huh? Does getting a chill have some effect on one's thyroid?

[Super Nova]

Here in Dubai they have the latest and greatest. Everything is on computer. They do an x-ray and within a minute they are viewing it on their screen. I go to the dentist and they view the x-ray immediately on a screen and a screen above me so I can see. Amazing stuff. Needed a crown a month ago, They took photos and inserted a device to take measurements like a lazer scan and had a 3 D landscape of my mouth in 2 minutes of processing for us to views. It produced a 3 D image of the crown, he manually editied it, they then used a 3 D printer to print my Crown. Week later they fitted it.

All patent records and all scans and everything is on the systems. They only print paper to sign for bills and referals.

[Neferti]

Here in Dubai they have the latest and greatest. Everything is on computer. They do an x-ray and within a minute they are viewing it on their screen. I go to the dentist and they view the x-ray immediately on a screen and a screen above me so I can see. Amazing stuff. Needed a crown a month ago, They took photos and inserted a device to take measurements like a lazer scan and had a 3 D landscape of my mouth in 2 minutes of processing for us to views. It produced a 3 D image of the crown, he manually editied it, they then used a 3 D printer to print my Crown. Week later they fitted it.

All patent records and all scans and everything is on the systems. They only print paper to sign for bills and referals.

Same thing happens here. I had a colonoscopy early last year and got the results (with graphics) in MY IN BOX and I just printed that off for my "Medical" file ... this stuff was copied to my GP ... Due to a problem way back I have "scar tissue" on the bowel and had to have a colonography .... I have the report here on my medical file, it was copied to all and sundry. Whenever I have had an x-ray that has been sent to my GP ... whether he has the skills to access it on his "computer" remains to be seen .... this is why some Medicos send a "hard copy" as well.

Doctors do NOT need the NBN to send x-rays through to GPs .... regardless of what Monk says.

[J o h n S m i t h]

Doctors do NOT need the NBN to send x-rays through to GPs .... regardless of what Monk says.

can you show where he said that?