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Automation, for the most part, has been a good thing. Technology has enabled the human race to complete incredible feats across every industry, from remote warzone operations to surgical procedures via laparoscopy. As technology continues to outpace human workers, however, many industries are afraid of losing too many jobs to machines – or of becoming obsolete altogether. Here are the top seven industries at risk of losing jobs in the future.
Driverless cars were once the stuff of science fiction, but today they’re an inevitability. Major vehicle manufacturers have toyed with the idea of a self-driving car for years, but Ford announced an actual date for when their autonomous vehicles will hit the market – 2021. Ford is even discussing plans for fully autonomous ride sharing. Experts believe autonomy won’t end with passenger vehicles but will eventually extend into public buses and even airplanes. This means thousands of vehicle operators potentially out of work in the near future.
With virtually thousands of software programs and apps available for accounting and bookkeeping, the outlook for humans in this industry is bleak. Computer-based accounting is more accurate, convenient, and cost-effective than hiring a real person, and it has become the method of choice for individuals and businesses around the world. Bookkeeping software also has the ability to gather and analyze data, on top of myriad other applications business owners need in the modern age. It would seem human bookkeepers simply can’t keep up with today’s demands.
Hundreds of restaurants around America have already integrated technology to optimize the customer experience, from bartender bots to placing orders on iPads. Today’s technology is making mechanical hands operate more smoothly, potentially replacing restaurant chefs, hosts, and wait staff with robots. The head of Carl’s Jr. has already expressed an interest in removing human workers from the restaurant chain completely.
Security is one industry that technology has heavily focused on for years. From sophisticated alarms that connect to mobile devices to comprehensive surveillance systems, technology has vastly improved today’s security systems. Knightscope, an advanced digital security company, is currently building robots capable of roaming a premises and handling trouble. While the world certainly appreciates the enhanced security, human security guards likely don’t.
Hundreds of telemarketing companies are significantly cutting costs by making the switch from human callers to “robocallers,” or automated voice systems. Robocallers get the job done at a fraction of the price – and they don’t get argumentative with rude customers. It’s a win-win for companies but will likely cost thousands of telemarketers their jobs.
News stations have to release immense amounts of content to stay relevant in today’s fast-paced world. Major new publications and services are turning to artificial intelligence reporters to help produce this content. Companies such as Narrative Science offer software programs that collect data and turn it into intelligible news stories. In the future, major news companies may eliminate thousands of human journalists and replace them with AI content machines.
In the world of robotics and automation, there’s a high chance that manufacturing companies will replace factory and assembly line workers with robots. Robots and machines already complete a large percentage of work at factories and may eventually replace human workers altogether. Product manufacturers can eliminate the costs of daily wages, not to mention avoid human errors and worker injury liabilities.
While there’s no longer any question of technology taking thousands of jobs away from humans, many believe that it will generate just as many – if not more – than it takes. The digital, data, and tech industries will create jobs we can’t even comprehend yet for the future of the working class. However, it’s difficult to say what the future holds for humans in these seven at-risk industries.