Robots Gaining Prominence Over Humans: A Decrease in Human Populations Parallels the Increase in Robot Usage
The integration of robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workforce is transforming the global landscape, intersecting with demographic trends such as potential population decline.
**Impact on the Global Workforce:**
The advent of AI and automation is poised to displace jobs, with estimates suggesting that by 2030, around 9-14% of jobs worldwide could be lost to AI and robots, equating to approximately 300 million jobs[1][3]. This displacement is particularly pronounced in sectors vulnerable to automation like manufacturing, writing, and software development. For instance, manufacturing alone could lose 20 million jobs to automation by 2030[1]. Concurrently, around 14% of employees (about 375 million workers) may need to transition to new careers due to AI[1].
AI-induced disruption is expected to eliminate many office jobs in metropolitan areas, leading to shifts in labor markets and consequently affecting housing demand and economic patterns in those regions[2]. However, this transition also presents opportunities for productivity gains, as AI often functions as a "learning-by-using" technology that initially augments labor productivity[2].
As job roles and wages don’t adjust, AI may substitute for human labor over time, suggesting a complex transition period. Emerging roles involving managing, training, and collaborating with robots and AI systems will become increasingly important[4][5]. The demand will grow for workers with higher technical education and human capital, flattening organizational hierarchies and emphasizing innovation and complex skills.
**Connection to Potential Population Decline:**
While the sources do not directly link AI adoption to global population decline, the interplay can be inferred. As populations in many countries age or shrink, labor shortages may arise, increasing incentives to adopt automation and AI to maintain productivity. Conversely, AI-driven job displacement could impact economic incentives for family formation and demographic trends indirectly.
The disruption caused by AI in labor markets, alongside population aging, may exacerbate challenges in maintaining economic growth and social welfare systems, making the role of AI both a mitigating tool for workforce shortages and a source of socioeconomic stress[2].
**Further Insights:**
The World Economic Forum reports that many robots are managing jobs with high-accident rates or long-term health consequences for humans. The rise of 5G networks and AI digitalisation is creating the foundations for artificial life to assert its influence on populations, but the potential costs and motivations behind these developments are subject to debate.
MIT researcher Daron Acemoglu's findings suggest that adding a robot to the workforce can replace around 6 people[6]. This underscores the significance of the job displacement that AI and automation could bring, potentially influencing both economic and social structures globally[1][2][4][5].
[1] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages [2] https://www.brookings.edu/research/artificial-intelligence-and-the-future-of-work-a-review-of-the-evidence/ [3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2019/08/29/ai-job-loss-how-many-jobs-will-be-replaced-by-ai-and-robots-by-2030/?sh=73c6d3d565e1 [4] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/artificial-intelligence-the-next-frontier-for-growth [5] https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-analytics/our-insights/the-future-of-work-a-new-social-contract-for-the-fourth-industrial-revolution [6] https://www.vox.com/23457847/elon-musk-robot-ai-jobs-acemoglu
- The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and technology in the workforce could potentially contribute to the displacement of jobs, opening up opportunities for artificial intelligence to manage positions with high-accident rates or long-term health consequences for humans.
- As the global workforce evolves due to AI and automation, the demand for workers with higher technical education and human capital will increase, flattening organizational hierarchies and emphasizing innovation and complex skills.
- The disruption caused by AI in labor markets, coupled with potential population decline, may raise concerns about maintaining economic growth and social welfare systems, making AI a double-edged sword in mitigating workforce shortages and causing socioeconomic stress.
- The World Economic Forum highlights that AI-driven job displacement could significantly impact both economic and social structures globally, while the MIT researcher Daron Acemoglu suggests that adding a robot to the workforce could replace approximately six people, underscoring the potential implications of AI and automation on job markets.
