Jobs That Robots Will Take Over Soon

With robot technology advancing quickly, it appears that there are several jobs that robots will take over soon to some extent and in some cases dominate to the detriment to humans that are currently performing these jobs. People working in manufacturing industries are no longer the only one’s who have to worry about being replaced by robots. Some of the jobs that will soon be lost to robots are not all that surprising, since they integrate well with automation, while some others are somewhat unexpected.

Of course, this shift to robot labor is not entirely a negative for mankind, since robots can perform high risk jobs that can be harmful to humans There will also be big financial winners as some jobs shift to robots, as companies save a tremendous amount of money on salaries and compensation. Consumers will benefit from lower cost products and services provided by robots. No matter what the pluses and minuses are, it is worthwhile for everyone in the labor market to understand how robots are going to affect the job market in the not too distant future.

While there will be an extensive debate in coming years regarding the safety of robotic trucks on the roads, that hasn’t stopped companies from developing long-haul trucks that are operated robotically without a human driver. In fact, there have been road tests on real roads and highways in which a long-haul truck is operated without a human at the steering wheel.

In 2016, Uber purchased self-driving trucking startup company called Otto. That same year, a fully automated,self-driving truck developed and operated by Uber’s Otto division delivered a load of 45,000 cans of beer from an Anheuser-Busch facility in Fort Collins, Colorado to a distributor in Colorado Springs. After the success of this initial test run, Uber set up a division called UberFreight to roll out self-driving robotic truck services to a wide range of shippers.

While robotic bartenders that can carry on an interesting conversation or sooth a customer’s concerns may be years off, robots that create precise bar drinks are already serving drinks. If you would rather skip the banter with human bartenders and forgo paying tips, then you will welcome robotic bartenders that can make your drink with computerized precision.

Restaurants are notoriously low margin businesses, which make them ideal candidates for incorporating robotic waiters and waitresses into their operations, since robots will never need a raise, do not require benefits and can work long hours that humans cannot tolerate. While robots may take some of the charm away from going out to eat at a restaurant, they will be a boon to restaurant owners that are desperate to turn a profit. The first iteration of robotic wait staff are simply computer notepads that customers use to place their order with humans delivering the order. Eventually, food and drinks will be delivered by Rosie or Rex the robot.

Robots will also likely play a big role behind the scenes in restaurants. While a robot may never challenge a world-renowned chef’s skills at cooking an exquisite meal, robots could certainly take over and do routine line cook jobs that involve preparing items that go into dishes. Robots will work tirelessly chopping vegetables and preparing foods, and never require the type of break a human line cook requires.

The postal service relies heavily on human beings to sort and deliver mail. This type of work is well suited for robots, due to the repetitive nature of the work. The postal service will likely pursue integration of robotic workers into its operations, as the pressure to save money on employee costs drives this large public employer to turn to robots to perform the repetitive tasks that are involved in getting mail to its recipients.

Even jobs that require years of education and pay handsomely, such as surgeons, are at risk of being lost to robots. Robotic surgeons are already at work performing surgical procedures on humans, such as gall bladder removal. In fact, approximately twenty types of surgery can currently be performed by robots. Many additional surgical procedures will be performed by robots in the future, as more sophisticated robots are developed that are capable of performing complicated surgeries. There may always be a need for humans in an operating room, but their roles will be greatly diminished as robots take over many surgical procedures.

Self-driving cars are being researched and developed extensively by several companies. It’s only a matter of time before self-driving cars reach the technological threshold in which they can be used as taxis or on a larger scale as buses. Some train systems already work without a human engineer controlling the train, and have been for decades. It’s not a huge leap for other forms of transportation, such as taxis and buses to lose their human operators and be replaced by sophisticated self-driving vehicles.

Farming is a draining line of work that requires long hours. It is also quite dangerous, as farmers are sometimes put in harm’s while operating farm equipment during their long workdays. While farmers will still tend to their fields and crops, they will do so in a very different way in the future, by using robots to take care of the daily labor required to produce food. Farms that utilize robots are already being testing in Japan and are likely to grow in popularity over time, as the farm industry realizes the cost savings utilizing robots that never have to take a water break and can get up at any hour to take care of the crops.

This is just a partial list of jobs that robots will take over soon. Essentially, any job that is repetitive or can be done logically may someday be taken over by a robot that is designed to perform its job flawlessly. This may create quite a quandary for human civilization, since many people’s very existence is tied to their jobs. Mankind may have to rethink how robots can be put to work to create a sustainable society for all people, including the millions who lose their jobs to robots.