Originally Posted by kane

Like you, I have been hearing that computers are going to kill our jobs my entire life. However, there is a big difference between now and the 1980's when I first started hearing this.

First, we were correct in the past. Computers did kill a lot of jobs. Where we were wrong was in how many jobs the industry would create. That said, there is a big difference between now and then. Computers, software, the internet etc is designed to make our lives easier, faster, more efficient etc. The goal of automation/robotics is to remove us from the equation. Instead of working with us they will replace us. Another issue is the technology. In the 1980's it just didn't exist. Now it does. we are seeing more and more new, cool stuff every day. Sure, there will be some new jobs created, but I fear not nearly enough to replace those that were lost.

While I don't think robots will kill retail anytime soon, I do think we will see major disruptions in the fast food and manufacturing worlds in the next 15-20 years. Major companies in China and other third world countries are starting to get into robotics and automation. When the places we outsource to because of their cheap labor are developing automation for their plants, that is not a good sign for unskilled workers.

Also, do you not thing Amazon taking over retail isn't a form of automation? Amazon's goal is to get products to you as quickly as possible with as few human hands touching them as possible.

I saw it happen myself in the early 1990's. I worked for an electornic manufacturering company. They got bought out and the new owners came in and over about a year's time they brought in a bunch of new equiptment and got rid of the assembly lines. When it was all said and done about 10 of the original 150 people were kept, the other 140 were fired. They hired another 20 or so new people to run and maintain the machines. They effectively cut their workforce from around 150 to 30. The savings in payroll and benefits alone will pay for those machines pretty quickly.