The Robots Are Coming! Are You Ready?

In this series, professionals debate the state – and future – of their industry. Read more here, then write your own #MyIndustry post.

Robots will soon conquer the world of work, way beyond our factory walls. I've read many reports on that, including one from the prestigious Bank of England. They have issued a warning that in the UK alone some 15 million jobs are at risk over the next 20 years. Full alert!

Whether we like it or not, it makes perfect sense. Robots are increasingly skilled, also adding cognitive capabilities to their already extensive manual abilities. Soon they'll be capable of replacing most desk jobs as well. So why wouldn't we use that to our advantage?

In fact, they're already here, depending on your definition of what a robot is or looks like. Because when most of us think about robots, we imagine they look just like us. With the exception that they're made of — indestructible, of course — steel. But most robots are far from anthropomorphic. Take a good look at your average robot in a factory setting. Or, have another look at your computer and some of the software it runs to automate tasks...

Did you know that Associated Press is experimenting with so-called Automated Insight's technology? The world's oldest news agency generates natural language reports based on large data sets. Fully automatic. In plain English: they now have robots covering quarterly earnings and sports results. Wow!

So imagine what robots will be able to do tomorrow. I think we haven't got the slightest idea on the impact of robotisation on any industry. Take mine, for example. In recruiting we screen candidates on skills, expertise, knowledge, personality, etc. It's standard procedure. It also involves a lot of "data mining," from LinkedIn to Facebook. And everything between. Most of that is quite repetitive and thus up for automation anytime soon. And that's just for starters. You see, robots don't get tired. They can search, correlate, and compare ages of data in minutes, unlike any recruiter. It's a good thing we still have our gut feeling to rely on. That separates us from the robots... at least for now.

In any case, let's not be afraid of this evolution. With every new step, comes great opportunity for those willing to see the possibilities. We need to embrace change. That’s the only choice we really have. And if you don't like the idea of being replaced by a robot, there's some good news too. Join Mercedes-Benz. They actually prefer people to robots on some stations along the assembly line. For greater flexibility. Who would have thought?

What’s your take?