robots

10 Jobs That Robots Can't Do, Yet

Paul Michael — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 09:00:11 +0000

You may have seen movies like iRobot, Blade Runner, and even Star Wars, and wondered if the future of employment looks bleak for humans. Indeed, it seems every day news stories cover the progress being made in artificial intelligence, and how more factory jobs continue to be taken by robotic workers.

But does this mean that every job will eventually be done by a robot? Well, not likely. And the following jobs are safe for the foreseeable future.

1. Any kind of mental therapist

From psychology and psychiatry, to occupational therapy and even some aspects of social work, there is one huge reason why robots cannot do these jobs right now: They're not human.

In any kind of therapy session, you need to feel heard and understood. You need a connection with the therapist to make any kind of progress, knowing that he or she is empathetic to your issues and genuinely wants to help. And that word — genuine — is at the heart of the problem for robots. Even if they can mimic a human's responses accurately and provide excellent advice, it will always feel programmed and unnatural. Pouring your heart out to a machine will never feel the same as conversing with a human, and that will make it almost impossible for robots to replace this role.

2. Investigative journalists

While it's true that some aspects of journalism are being automated, the kind of work that Woodward and Bernstein did on Watergate is unlikely to be replaced by robots any time soon. Even with great advances in artificial intelligence, robots still don't have that sense of intrigue that humans have.

Humans are naturally curious, and when it comes to journalism, people look for things that aren't quite right. They question, probe, dig, and make connections that robots could not do without human intervention. Not only that, but the charm and personality of journalists opens doors, gets people talking, and brings facts out into the open. How many witnesses or informants will open up to a robot in a bar over a pint of beer?

3. Physicians and surgeons

Let's face it; if you found out you were going under the knife tomorrow, how happy would you be to know a robot was performing the procedure without any kind of human involvement?

While advances in medical science have brought robots into the operating room, they are not yet at a stage of complete autonomy. They are there to help surgeons, and facilitate in complex and arduous tasks. Sometimes a surgeon can even use one remotely to operate on a patient in a different state (or even country).

However, while robots can be painstakingly accurate, they are not yet sophisticated enough to replace surgeons and doctors. If anything were to go wrong during the operation, a robot may not be programmed with the correct response to fix it. A surgeon relies on hundreds of hours of experience, and will often have to think laterally to solve a problem. Sometimes, a surgeon will even follow a gut reactions based on countless other surgeries.

Yes, a robot can make precise cuts, and administer medications exactly, but robots cannot replace the human touch that comes from a physician or surgeon. And let's not even go into the kind of malpractice that could result from a defective robot that did not have human oversight.

4. Authors

If you were a publisher looking to hire someone to write a novel for you, would you choose the talents of Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, or perhaps Neil Gaiman? Or would you instead bank on the inventiveness of a robot with AI?

Very few people would choose the latter these days. But robot-written books are improving in quality. A short novel co-written by a robot (its co-author is human) made it past the first stage in a Japanese literary contest in 2016, in which the judges did not know which novels were written by humans and which by machines.

For now, though, robots are limited to farming data and churning out perfect sentence structures and grammatically-correct paragraphs. None can touch the level of creativity that's required for plot and character development. That comes from the human mind, and probably will for a very long time.

5. Advertising creatives

The ad world was rocked last year by the introduction of "robotic creative directors." As a creative director myself, the news was initially a hammer blow; until I read what it can do, and how it does it.

This "creative director" is really nothing more than an editing assistant that offers solutions based on millions of ads that are available for viewing, coupled with data on current consumers. But the robot cannot (at the moment anyway) come up with a brilliant, innovative ad to capture the imagination and sell a lot of products. That is very much a human endeavor; to create comedy, intrigue, and a "need" out of thin air. AI may help creatives to crack certain problems, but robots will not be taking over the advertising world just yet.

6. Teachers

Certain aspects of the teaching profession can be automated. You just have to look online to see the many thousands of options you have for education courses that are offered without any kind of human involvement.

But raising children into responsible, well-educated adults is about much more than rote learning. There needs to be an understanding that goes well beyond facts and figures. Teachers have to deal with emotional issues, and respond to interesting and unusual questions in a "human" way. Despite what you may see in sci-fi movies, teachers are not yet going to be replaced by robots.

7. Film and television directors

Like authors, advertising creatives, and other similar professions, film and television direction is a skill that requires a great deal of innovation and lateral thinking. Directors have a vision of what they want to put on the screen, and that vision is uniquely human.

Robots can assist with editing the movie, finding the best angles for shots, and even suggest script changes and lighting techniques. But for the time being, robots will never take the place of talents like Spielberg, Scorsese, and Nolan.

8. Archaeologists

Indiana Jones and Lara Croft can expect long and fruitful careers. Well, those may be fictional examples of the archaeology professions, but even so, the job is safe.

Much of what an archaeologist does is theorizing. Basically, they look at fragments of evidence and piece together concepts and solutions that, to the best of their knowledge, make sense based on the information in front of them. But most of the time, it's intelligent guesswork. This kind of thinking is not something in which robots excel. They can come up with solutions to complex problems in nanoseconds, but ask them to "have a guess" and it's a different story.

9. Detectives

Certain aspects of policing and the law could one day be replaced by robots or computers, especially as artificial intelligence becomes even more sophisticated. However, the detective that works in homicide, missing persons, burglary, organized crime, and many other areas of the industry, has a long time before they need to worry.

Aside from the fact that a human element is needed to make links between seemingly random pieces of information (often called "a hunch"), it would be nearly impossible for a robot to go to the places a detective must go to find clues, investigate witnesses, and dig up leads. And when it comes to undercover work, that's even more impossible. Yes, there are robot cops around right now in some countries, but they are really just souped-up information agents. They don't solve crimes.

10. Actors and entertainers

Several people have speculated that actors, singers, dancers, comedians, and other entertainers are one day going to be replaced. True, Peter Cushing died in 1994, and was digitally recreated with convincing effects in 2016's Rogue One. And as technology improves, so will these animated stars.

However, the emotion and physicality that comes from a truly gifted entertainer is going to be impossible to generate for a long, long time. Performances can be mimicked, but real authenticity and sentiment is not something that comes easy for a robot. Our entertainers will be human for many decades to come.

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This article is from Paul Michael of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

20 Ways Amazon's Alexa Can Make Your Life Easier

Andrea Cannon — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 10:31:29 +0000

World, meet Amazon's Alexa. Alexa is a personal assistant that comes with the Amazon Echo Dot, Echo Tap, and Echo devices. It works similarly to Siri and can be the assistant you never knew you needed.

What Can Alexa Do?

The smart wireless speaker offers a number of valuable services through Alexa that can really make your life easier. By simplifying daily tasks with Alexa, you can get out the door faster and focus on more important things.

With more than 3,000 available skills, it can take some time to determine which skills are right for your needs. That's why we've highlighted some of the best ways to use Alexa to streamline your life.

1. Check the Traffic and Weather

By being able to check the traffic and weather with ease, you can better prepare for the day ahead.

2. Manage Your Calendar

You can edit your calendar and get reminders of upcoming events with voice commands. You can also create tasks on your favorite to-do app.

3. Find Your Phone

If you've lost your phone, TrackR will help you find it. Simply instruct Alexa to find your phone or ring your phone so you can quickly determine its location.

4. Set a Timer or Alarm

Along with quickly checking the time, you can also set a timer or alarm on the device. You can also set your phone to ring anytime the alarm goes off.

5. Play Music

You can play a song through Alexa or connect to a paid music service like Spotify. You can even instruct it to play certain types of music (such as, "Alexa, play Christmas music") to perfectly set the mood.

6. Get the News

Alexa can read the news or your favorite audiobook to you. She can also answer questions so you can always stay informed.

7. Find Local Hotspots

Alexa can help you find local businesses or restaurants based on Yelp reviews. This can help you get more acquainted with your new neighborhood in no time.

8. Control the Lights

If you have smart lights, you can use Alexa to turn them on and off with your voice.

9. Control the Thermostat

If you have a smart thermostat (like a Nest thermostat), Alexa can adjust the temperature via voice command.

10. Control Your GE Appliances

Once you've connected your GE appliances, you can tell Alexa to do things like preheat the oven when you're ready to cook a meal.

11. Control Your Smart Devices

Once you connect your smart devices (like your TV), you can start controlling them with Alexa. You can turn on the TV, launch Netflix, change the channel, and more. Companies like Ford, Hyundai, and LG have also released smart home appliances, cars, phones, and other electronics that can connect with Alexa to further simplify your life. With the Automatic car adapter addition, you can even track information on your car, such as how much you drove and when you'll need gas.

12. Improve Home Safety

With Alexa, you can lock your doors or turn your home security system on.

13. Update Your Shopping List

By being able to verbally edit your shopping list, you'll never have to worry about forgetting anything again.

14. Buy Something

Of course, you can instruct Alexa to purchase something and she will complete the order on Amazon for you.

15. Order a Ride

You can connect your device with apps like Uber or Lyft to request a ride.

16. Plan a Trip

You can quickly plan and track a trip through the Kayak skill. Who needs a personal assistant when Alexa can do the hard work for you?

17. Find Recipes

Alexa connects to Food Network, My Chef, and All Recipes to help you find the perfect recipes for food or cocktails, so you can plan a tasty meal on the fly.

18. Order Food

Some food companies, like Domino's, have partnered with the Amazon Echo, allowing you to do things like reorder your most recent order, send a new order, or track your current order. You'll always know where your pizza is.

19. Get Fit

Simply instruct Alexa to start a seven-minute workout and she will walk you through the routine. Now, you'll never have an excuse to skip a workout again. You can also connect your Fitbit to better monitor your fitness. And you can get detailed nutritional information from the Food Tracker skill to more efficiently monitor your calorie intake.

20. Connect With Amazon Prime

If you have Amazon Prime, then Alexa makes it seamless for you to take advantage of all the services you are paying for with your subscription, so you get the best value for the money with Prime music, two-day shipping, and a lot more.

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This article is from Andrea Cannon of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Shoveling Snow and 5 Other Things Robots Can Do for You

Mikey Rox — Fri, 28 Oct 2016 09:01:03 +0000

Robots have both fascinated and frightened us since inventor George Devol created the first artificial agent capable of automatic mechanical action in 1954. (In other words, a robotic arm.) Since then, subcultures have emerged that simultaneously revere and revile robots, resulting in countless books, movies, TV shows, and more, that focus on non-sentient machines. Because love them or loathe them, robots are here to stay. In fact, the presence of robots will continue to permeate our culture indefinitely (until their eventual takeover), and if you can't beat 'em (your resistance is futile, actually), join 'em.

As such, here are a few reasons to embrace the benefits that our future overlords provide us while we still can.

1. Help With Yard Work

It's one thing to rake the yard when leaves start to fall — it can even be enjoyable if you're the kind of person who can create fun out of almost anything — but nobody looks forward to the backbreaking work of shoveling snow. For me, it's near the top of the list of things I hate most, right up there with those spider-cricket hybrid insects.

So if you despise shoveling snow as much as I do, the Kobi Company has designed something with you in mind. Its eponymous robot, Kobi, will cut grass, collect leaves and, yes, make all that white stuff disappear. Much like a vacuum, Kobi comes with attachments to tackle each task, which are accomplished without human interference by first wheeling the robot around your yard to establish perimeters around obstacles like trees and bushes. Once set, Kobi gets to work clearing your yard and sidewalks of all natural debris while you sit inside celebrating your discovery of a whole new level of laziness.

2. Provide Companionship

Feeling lonely? Trade in all that nonsense human interaction for artificial companionship.

Humanoid robot Pepper, from Japanese telecommunications company Softbank, is programmed to communicate with users, follow voice commands, and read human emotions and react accordingly. Which basically means that five years from now it's totally going to bring up the past when you two get into an argument. Pepper costs about $1,650 — slightly less than one month of supporting your current live-in boyfriend or girlfriend.

If the lifelike Pepper freaks you out, try MJI Robotics' MJI (More Joy Innovation) Communication Robot, an egg-shaped tabletop bot that features a five-inch display screen with emotive eyes that allows tech-impaired people to access photos, weather, news, and other information with voice activation.

3. Tackle the Household Chores

Vacuuming robot Roomba has been around for years, and it perhaps single-handedly paved the way for other household bots to help with your chores.

Scooba takes the original Roomba concept one step further by vacuuming and washing floors, while Looj handles another dreaded task of most homeowners: cleaning the gutters.

4. Annoy You Until You Get Out of Bed

Are you often late for work because you hit the snooze button on your alarm 19 times? Nanda Clocky will have you rising and shining in no time. It's sole purpose is to get you out of bed by giving you one chance to snooze before it rolls away, forcing you to chase it down to shut it up. Obvi, hilarity will ensue at your house at 6 a.m.

5. Clean Up After Your Pets

I don't like cats for several reasons, which are: they're not dogs; they poop inside; and they're generally just plain evil. But if you have a soft spot in your heart for felines, the Litter-Robot can help you keep your home from smelling like a porta potty by sifting through the litter to removes clumps and storing them in a bag that will stifle the scent.

6. Satiate Your Weird Predilection For Destruction

Because we can't live in harmony with anything, we've already turned robots violent — a character trait that will probably make us regret some of our decisions in the near future. Robot combat is totally a thing, the MegaBots website declares the hobby "The Future of Sports," and it seems best suited to those who like to instigate and witness destruction. It's certainly not the best part of our own humanity, but it exists nonetheless. Ya know, until they turn on us.

This article is from Mikey Rox of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

7 Great Jobs That Won't Be Lost to Technology

Christa Avampato — Wed, 11 Feb 2015 10:31:13 +0000

Technology has been changing the way we work since the start of time. And you know what? We're still here — and still working. (See also: Robots Will Take These 5 Jobs Soon — Is One of Them Yours?)

If you're worried that robot workers will replace humans entirely someday, relax. These seven jobs that are here to stay.

1. Educator

Sure, technology has played a huge role in transforming the field of education. Self-directed, online learning is now available to just about anyone anywhere who has the interest and an internet connection. What hasn't changed is that people are still needed to put together curriculums sensitive to changing student needs, provide individualized tutoring and support, and challenge students to think critically about the material.

2. Coaches and Athletic Trainers

A 2013 study by Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne called The Future of Employment lists athletic trainers as one of the career paths least likely to be impacted by technology. Why? Because no matter how realistic your Wii, engaging in competitive sports or fitness requires a more human approach to help motivate and maximize your progress.

3. Editors

Sure, the Associated Press and other major publications may be experimenting with computer-written news — but while churning out simple, formulaic stories might become robot's work soon, editing lengthy features, opinion pieces, or books won't. That's because editing isn't just about replacing misplaced commas — it's also about making writing flow more smoothly and read more enjoyably. Can you imagine a robo-editor trying to improve Shakespeare or Voltaire?

4. Therapists and Clergy

Those who help us heal our minds and bodies and guide our spiritual lives play a special and irreplaceable part in society. Therapists and clergy members provide compassionate, caring, and thoughtful help which cannot be adequately replicated by machines. Like anything requiring real kindness, wisdom, and generosity, these jobs are unlikely to be replaced by technology; unsurprisingly, The Future of Employment study cites these professions as particularly safe from robo-replacements.

5. Chef

George Jetson may have popped a few highly nutritious pills and called it a meal, but we are far from that scenario. Though technology is improving agriculture, food preparation methods, and impacting the cost and quality of food everywhere, the human touch is still what makes a gourmet meal truly special. Culinary ingenuity and a creative palate can't be supplanted by technology. With that reality firmly in place, chefs will always be needed.

6. Health Care Professionals

People are living longer thanks to modern medicine. People are also developing increasingly complex diseases and disorders as a result of living longer. These two facts are driving the need for doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. And if you think this idea goes away with the Baby Boomers, think again. Millennials are set to surpass the Baby Boomers in number this year, and the average life expectancy of Millennials is 84. With numbers and life expectancy on the rise, health care professionals will be highly sought after by everyone.

7. Actors and Artists

The Frey and Osborne study also showed a low likelihood that jobs for actors and other creative professionals would be outsourced to technology. After all, robots just aren't quite as convincing as Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie at feigning emotion (and they don't look as good on screen, either). Individuals in the creative professions are largely shielded from technological outsourcing because creativity is, in essence, the very last frontier of technology. And we will probably always want humans — not machines — acting out our human dreams and fears.

The bottom line is that human ingenuity never goes out of style and will never become obsolete. The human brain, and its creative capacity, isn't even fully understood — much less in danger of irrelevance. It is this very creative capacity that makes us human, and that creates the security that not everything can be better done by robots.

Any other jobs safe from robots? What about yours?

This article is from Christa Avampato of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Robots Will Take Over These 5 Jobs Soon — Is One of Them Yours?

Damian Davila — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:00:09 +0000

Machine laborers are on the rise with a record 14,135 robots ordered from North American robotics companies in the first half of 2014, an increase of 30% in units over the same period in 2013. Why hire robots instead of people? They don't get bored, they make fewer mistakes, and they are cheaper.

In fact, experts predict that several industries will be fully outsourced to robots by 2045. Here are five of the jobs that are likely to disappear in a near future due to robots.

1. Sewing Machine Operator

Take a look at your favorite dress shirt. Somebody had to sew it all together, insert the buttons, and apply all the tiny details. This industry is very close to disappearing in the United States. In fact, since 1997, the industry's employment outlook has been bleak.

In 2012, the numbers of sewing machine operators declined by 42,100 jobs, or 26%. Even a major company, such as American Apparel, was looking only for two sewing machine operators in August 2014. These jobs are less attractive to potential employees because a search on Indeed on August 2014 shows that about 57% of them pay about $20,000 per year.

Don't think a robot could do it better? Watch this robot fold a towel. Companies are enticed to buy robots in this and other industries due to applicable stimulus tax credits. Some recently outsourced jobs are coming back to America, but to done by American robots!

2. Mail Processor

Does your job consist of sorting DVDs and games for Netflix or GameFly? Hopefully not.

At its highest point, Netflix operated 58 distribution centers in the country. That number was down to 39 in 2013. During that same time period, the number of RedBox kiosks has increased to about 35,900 locations in the U.S. This means that close to 68% of the U.S. population is within a 5-minute drive of a Redbox kiosk, which is a tiny mail sorter robot.

But what is more alarming to manual mail processors is the fact that two of the biggest employers of mail processors are replacing humans with robots.

First, the Postal Service is constantly struggling to meet its mandatory annual prepayment of $5.5 billion in health care benefits for future retirees. Most suggested solutions involve either:

Reducing the number of delivery days from six to five, which in turn reduces the number of people using USPS, so fewer clerks, mail sorters, and processors would be needed.
Moving stand-alone post offices into smaller retail spaces, which builds a strong case for centralization and automation of the process.

And the third solution? Robots, such as Baxter, available for about $22,000. In the future it may make sense to replace human mail sorters and processors with robotic ones. After all, hiring new USPS employees also increases pension costs.

Already Amazon uses orange robots from Kiva to dramatically cut costs in its fulfillment and shipping centers. In 2014, the company announced that it has deployed 10,000 robots. A warehouse equipped with Kiva robots can handle up to four times as many orders as a similar one without the orange little helpers. Sorry human, you do not compute.

3. Mail Delivery Carrier

The postal carrier can't catch a break.

Even USPS's 7,559 letter carriers (known as "the Fleet of Feet") have no job security in the future. With Amazon testing its Amazon Prime Air delivery service (a.k.a. "delivery by drone"), we may be not too far away from a future in which we may not need a person to physically deliver a letter or package.

And Amazon is not alone in this. Google X, a division of Google that works on "moonshot" projects, is currently working on Project Wing, which is also aimed at unmanned drone delivery.

Imagine this: You order a product online, Baxter puts together your shipment, Kiva fetches the package, and Betty the Drone delivers your order to your doorstep.

4. Pharmacist Clerk

Since 2011, the UCSF Medical Center has operated a robotic pharmacy. This automated service has prepared and delivered over 350,000 doses of medication without a single error. The assistant director of pharmaceutical services for the UCSF Medical Center claims that the robotic pharmacists not only increase the safety of dispensing medications to patients, but also allow nurses to focus more on patient care.

As UCSF continues to push the envelope in autonomous prescription delivery, it is just a matter of time until private corporations test drive this service to cut down on costs.

5. Cab Driver

As of 2011, Google's fleet of self-driving cars had logged over 190,000 miles. There have been tests in closed courses with humans on board of Google's cars and even on open roads on Hollywood Boulevard and in Santa Monica.

While there are many obstacles to widespread acceptance of the self-driving vehicle, the main one is legal. There is no clear legal framework on how to handle events such as accidents and property damage involving robotic cars. Currently, driverless cars are allowed for public road testing in California, Michigan, Florida, and Nevada.

Still, demand for driverless cars may force things to speed up. Running errands with a robotic driver just looks too cool. Ford expects autonomous vehicles on the market by 2025. Daimler, BMW, General Motors, and Renault are much more bullish and forecast that year to be as early as 2020.

What other jobs do you think won't exist soon due to robots? Please welcome our robotic overlords in comments!

This article is from Damian Davila of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: