In a recent report, the Pew Research Center found tht Americans are more worried than they are enthusiastic about automation technologies when it comes to tasks that rely on qualities thought to be unique to humans. Thery're concerned that, in lacking certain sensibilities, robots are fundamentally limited in their ability to replace humans at those jobs.
But if being "human" means making thoughtful decisious and having strong interpersonal skills, how "human" are humans? It turns out that the tendency to dignify human qualities might be misguided-and the robots might actually be preferable in certain jobs that count on those qualities. If that's indeed the case, education and training programs will have to take an honest look at how great humans actually are- lest fears or robots taking over become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Humans don't seem all that "human" when it comes to thoughtful decision- making in driving. Federal fatal-crash data show that despite reductions in the number of deaths due to distracted or fatigue driving, those related to other reckless behaviors- including speeding, alcohol impairment, and not wearing seatbelts- have continued to increase.
Nor do they inherently excel at interpersonal skills. Jonathan Gratch, from the University of Southern California, pointed to customer-service representatives, who tend to follow a script when speaking with people. Becuase they rarely express genuine emotions, they aren't, according to Gratch, "really being human." In fact, these rules surrounding professional conduct make it easier to program machine to do that sort of work, especially when Siri Alexa are already collecting data on how people talk.
These statistics complicate the notion that robots are inherently inferior when it comes to such tasks. Eighty-five percent of respondents in the Pew report were in favor of limiting machines to performing those jobs that are dangerous or unhealthy for humans. But people from all walks of life will see their jobs affected by technology given its ability to mimic human abilities.
Education and training can ease Americans' worries. Yet despite widespread interest in professional development and lifelong learning, Aaron Smith, co-author of the report, has found in his previous research that policymakers and workers express different motivations when they talk of the need for training. While there are some politicians who think about automations as a labor challenge, workers across the board are thinking more about globalization. People, he said, are not "necessarily thinking about that training and development as something that will help fight off the machines."
