I Dream of Robots — Sometimes
I’ve been working at Narwal, a company that makes cleaning robots, for about two months now, and I’ve realized that I’m starting to change. Every single day I’m faced with questions about how useful our product is, how I feel about robots and artificial intelligence, whether or not I think our products suits someone’s needs... Initially, my responses weren’t particularly positive — after all, I’m a self-described luddite, so I have some inherent anti-robot bias. But as I’ve learned more about this industry, my opinions have begun to change. It’s not that I now have overwhelmingly positive feelings, don’t get me wrong, I haven’t been brainwashed. But I’m now realistic, not pessimistic about the possible futures of robotics, and I’m increasingly open to the idea of adding a few robots to my own life.
At the same time, though, I’m still painfully aware of the risks that humanity faces as it becomes more robotic and automatised, and I can’t say I’m not worried. What, then, is my robotic dream, and what stands in its way? More importantly, how do I still manage to dream of robots?
The Dream : A Freer, More Equal World
Imagine, a world where you didn’t have to clean your house, or commute to work. Better yet, imagine a world where you didn’t have to work at all. That’s my dream for the robotic world. There are many people who are scared of automation for reasons I’ll explain more in a bit, but in an ideal world, automation is what will free us. It’s been predicted that robots will replace 40% of jobs in the next 15 years, and, in certain industries, robots are cheaper than human labor. So if robots become the most economic option and begin to take over human jobs, what happens?
First of all, in theory, job automation will make products cheaper because robots are less expensive than humans. If it's cheaper to harvest crops using a robot, then food costs should go down due to the lower labour costs. The same goes for drug costs as robot pharmacists become popular. Heck, if there were robots that could load baggage onto planes, maybe I could finally avoid overweight baggage fees.
The second major benefit is that robots doing the work means that we don’t have to. Think of everything you could do if you worked less, or even not at all. You would have more time to pursue your passions, more time to spend with your family, more time to meaningfully engage with the world. There are so many better things for us to do than cleaning, driving, and working, and robots can help us find the time to do those things.
Finally, one of the best things that robots can do for us that many people forget is how useful they are for people who have disabilities. Not only can they help people with motor difficulties complete tasks they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, they can also be used to help with cognitive disabilities. As robots continue to advance, they’re only getting better at helping people, and those with disabilities are among the people who benefit the most.
The Risks : Exclusion and Pollution
Despite all my lofty visions of what a robotic world might look like, at the end of the day, I’m an idealist, not a fool. I know that that world is going to be hard, if not impossible to create, and that there are a lot of obstacles in the way before we can get there. So while robots replacing our jobs might have all the above benefits, it’s still important to consider : what are the drawbacks of an automated society? What problems might we run into and what do we risk by pursuing a world where robots do our jobs for us?
The first issue most people think of when thinking about automation is that, if robots are doing our jobs for us, how are we earning money? After all, if you aren’t earning anything, how are you going to take advantage of cheaper prices? How can you afford to do anything during the new free time you have? But beyond this quite basic problem there are other things that aren’t given the attention they deserve.
Take accessibility, for example. So robots have taken over everyone’s jobs, and everyone has a robot in their home — or do they? The digital divide is already leading to inequality, and there’s a distinct risk that robotics will exacerbate it if robots are priced in ways that exclude those of lower economic classes. Further, not all robots are designed for all people — much as robots can help people with disabilities, if they aren’t designed with the disabled in mind, their usefulness can be reduced or even non-existent.
Robots can also have negative environmental impacts. Even if they run on renewable energy, the resources needed to make robots are not always sustainably accessed or used. Mining for rare earth metals, for example, can generate toxic and even radioactive waste. Imposing stricter regulations on mining, however, runs the risk of making robots prohibitively expensive and prematurely ending the potential automated utopia.
And Yet, I Still Dream of Robots
Given that I know all of the potential problems that come with automation, how do I still dream of robots? In short, it’s because I’m an idealist, just as I said before. Despite all the issues that come with automation, there are potential solutions : universal basic income funded by an automation tax could solve the issue of people losing their jobs; governmental policies and socially responsible companies could ensure that robots were accessible to people regardless of economic status or disability; and funding for scientific progress could lead to new, more sustainable technological solutions. While I’m not so optimistic that I believe that this will happen, I am idealistic enough to imagine that it might.
Fortunately, we’re not yet at a point where automation is a major social issue. But that time isn’t far off, so it’s important to start considering how automation will affect our future lives while we still have time. We have to take advantage of time we have and pressure companies and the government to work to ensure that the robotic dream doesn’t turn into a dystopian nightmare. For now, I’m happy knowing that Narwal’s little vacuuming and mopping robots aren’t going to harm anyone, and so I still dream of robots. Whether or not I’ll still be able to say the same in 10 years time… that depends on what we do today.
How do you feel about robots and automation? Do you think society is on the right path? What important steps do you think we need to take to be on the right path? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know!
If you’re interested in reading more about technology, cleaning, and society in general, feel free to check out the rest of my blog. Otherwise, thanks for reading!
