June 18, 2018 at 8:32 am
/sigh. I may be a bit pragmatic/cynical but this article is far, far too much influenced by marketing nonsense...
Insurance and Claims Adjusters - this industry has been dominated by algorithms for years. Algorithms are not "Artificial Intelligence", despite the utter perversion of the term.
Bankers and Tellers - another industry that has been automating itself heavily for years. The finance industry was at the forefront of non-government computing technology from the start (my uncle was a pioneer in the field of computer based accountancy many decades ago). There is no "Artificial Intelligence" present nor required in customers wanting to check their balances, deposit, withdraw or transfer funds. There are extensive algorithms in place to try and detect fraudulent transactions and while pattern detection technology is in use, this is generally used to feed back into the algorithms rather than replace them. There is still extensive human input in this and given the very wide scope, likely to be for a very long time due to contextual limitations (where any attempt at AI generally fails).
Financial Analysts - while this may appear to be an ideal scenario for "Artificial Intelligence", the reality is similar to other financial modelling where trends in historical data are analysed and used to help predict future outcomes. This is also not "Artificial Intelligence". A true AI financial analyst system would be capable of monitoring real world events and assessing their impact on each financial modelling thread that may be directly, or indirectly affected - we are rather a long way from such technology - or at least automating it, using a self-learning system, to a meaningful level.
Day Laborers and Construction Workers - this is mechanisation which has nothing to do with "Artificial Intelligence"
Retail Employees and Inventory Managers - the technology to manipulate the very wide range of real world objects and even a reasonable portion of the "edge" cases is so far off it is laughable to be concerned about it. For example, a robot tasked with reloading a shelf of bags of rice would have to not only be able to detect, with absolute certainty, the state of the shelf, of the existing bags, the state of the existing bags, any intervening objects, the variable shape and therefore geometric weight of each bag of rice and that's assuming that it's not broken. A human can do this very easily, and can relatively safely do this while sharing the same environment as other humans. To use robotics in this field the layout of shelves would have to be changed substantially and this will reduce product density and greatly impact already slim profit margins. While there is a lot of scope for using better algorithms in managing inventory levels, the supply chain relies on a huge number of human interactions and therefore exceptional inputs.
Factory Workers - this is mechanisation which has nothing to do with "Artificial Intelligence". While a "robotic" system is often more cost effective, or reliable, or consistent than a human worker this is only the case for a limited scope tasks - as in a specific robot for a specific task. This is not going to change for a very long time.
June 18, 2018 at 8:36 am
I think one thing almost everyone forgets when they're talking about robotics is the AI, artificial intelligence.
People won't be "programming" robots in the near future. Their programming will all be in their AI. Each robot will be given a task to figure out, with a human "expert" to guide them. Once they've figured it out, and really learned how to do it properly thru testing and repetition, they'll upload their solution to the "command center" and then all the other robots will be able to access that new knowledge. Literally in the blink of an eye, anywhere in the world.
I think the number of human "experts" required to "train robots" is going to minuscule, and will only be required in the early days. Once robots figure out how to do things themselves, they just might surpass the need for humans to show them new things.
The real issue in robotics is "motivation".
June 18, 2018 at 8:51 am
Eric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:25 AMIt's no surprise that, after manufacturing, customer service would be the next industry to be automated. In the past, folks who worked behind the counter or answered the phone were professionals, but today they are just mind numbed human robots who facilitate transactions or read from scripts. In all fairness, they're doing their jobs exactly the way they were trained by corporate management. But it's almost as if they are human prototypes for the next generation of automated bots.
If such "customer service" bots are "trained" by the same idiots that program the IVRs for many companies, we're in deep Kimchi.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
June 18, 2018 at 9:00 am
I had not seen N.Ryan's post ...
" ... we are rather a long way from such technology - or at least automating it, using a self-learning system, to a meaningful level."
I think the pace of change and "development" in technology will be astounding to us today. We will see this in our lifetimes.
"Day Laborers and Construction Workers - this is mechanisation which has nothing to do with "Artificial Intelligence"
I disagree. In my post above I was thinking of day labourers and construction workers specifically. (I drive thru a construction zone on the way to work, where they're building an underpass.) If there's a robot that can wield a hammer or shovel, they will be able learn these physical tasks one by one, then share the solutions among themselves. Again, once the robots are physically capable of doing this kind of "manual" labour, I don't think that's going to take very long.
June 18, 2018 at 9:14 am
Ken.L.Wolff - Monday, June 18, 2018 7:21 AMSure seems like lots of doom & gloom. Historically automation has freed up human labor to pursue other interests. 35 years ago, when i started in IT, if someone had told the "financial analysts" how much of their jobs computers would be doing today, I'm pretty sure they'd all think their jobs would be long gone. Last time I checked, the "financial analyst" job market still seems to be fairly robust. Point is, automation does take over some aspects of jobs but frees up time to pursue others.
And that's to say nothing about human intuition. Does the author foresee computers taking that over, as well? Sure, with sufficient programming & analysis, computers may be able to achieve an "error-free track record". But only of past results. Artificial intelligence notwithstanding, I seriously doubt computers will be able to foresee (with any accuracy) the next recession or economic downturn any better than humans.
And "day laborers" and "construction workers"? Really? Someone's going to come up with a machine that's cost-effective to do "day laborer" tasks like clean up a yard, trim trees or even fix plumbing in a narrow, confined space? Maybe someday but is not anything over which I'd lose any sleep if I were a day laborer or construction worker.
To be sure, there's no doubt automation will take over some jobs, but again, historically that's opened others up. Case in point: look at the expansion of the IT industry over the past 30-40 years. We're pursuing things in IT that were only dreamed of 30-40 years ago.
IMO, the author has a valid point but carried the conclusions a bit too far.
Ken, this is the proper way to take this. I have seen doom and gloom articles before, this one, is a bit off. This assumes a fixed pie of productivity or work, and that people wont innovate or work on their own self interest. There are also a link that reference an opinion article, not a reference.
June 18, 2018 at 9:30 am
BenWard - Monday, June 18, 2018 5:28 AMPeter Heller - Monday, June 18, 2018 4:31 AM... driverless vehicles will need technologically savvy drone drivers at trucking driver centers.Being a truck driver and being able to work from home doing it... what is the world coming to?
😀
This has really tickled me for some reason.
June 18, 2018 at 10:38 am
Well, robots and AI don't get to vote, people do whether they are employed or not, so somehow I think the people will win that. It probably won't be giving AI rights, but more likely some sort of tax.
June 18, 2018 at 1:00 pm
gendersense - Monday, June 18, 2018 6:27 AMWhat skills other than becoming like a robot should an IT tech get?
Something that most bots will never have... intuition with a healthy dose of common sense (although it's not as common as it should be).
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
June 18, 2018 at 1:23 pm
Jeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:51 AMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:25 AMIt's no surprise that, after manufacturing, customer service would be the next industry to be automated. In the past, folks who worked behind the counter or answered the phone were professionals, but today they are just mind numbed human robots who facilitate transactions or read from scripts. In all fairness, they're doing their jobs exactly the way they were trained by corporate management. But it's almost as if they are human prototypes for the next generation of automated bots.If such "customer service" bots are "trained" by the same idiots that program the IVRs for many companies, we're in deep Kimchi.
The customer service bots are trained to provide the same level of service as customer service humans (or humanoids).
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 18, 2018 at 1:28 pm
Yet another unexpected industry starting to feel threatened by automation.
Warning: This "news" article is from the UK Daily Star, so probably not safe for reading at work.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 18, 2018 at 1:54 pm
Eric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:23 PMJeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:51 AMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:25 AMIt's no surprise that, after manufacturing, customer service would be the next industry to be automated. In the past, folks who worked behind the counter or answered the phone were professionals, but today they are just mind numbed human robots who facilitate transactions or read from scripts. In all fairness, they're doing their jobs exactly the way they were trained by corporate management. But it's almost as if they are human prototypes for the next generation of automated bots.If such "customer service" bots are "trained" by the same idiots that program the IVRs for many companies, we're in deep Kimchi.
The customer service bots are trained to provide the same level of service as customer service humans (or humanoids).
Not the ones that I've come across... especially not those bloody IVRs.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
June 18, 2018 at 2:36 pm
Jeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:54 PMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:23 PMJeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:51 AMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:25 AMIt's no surprise that, after manufacturing, customer service would be the next industry to be automated. In the past, folks who worked behind the counter or answered the phone were professionals, but today they are just mind numbed human robots who facilitate transactions or read from scripts. In all fairness, they're doing their jobs exactly the way they were trained by corporate management. But it's almost as if they are human prototypes for the next generation of automated bots.If such "customer service" bots are "trained" by the same idiots that program the IVRs for many companies, we're in deep Kimchi.
The customer service bots are trained to provide the same level of service as customer service humans (or humanoids).
Not the ones that I've come across... especially not those bloody IVRs.
For what it's worth, a support bot is just as capable as a basement full of low end support humans when it comes to routine tasks like: answering frequently asked questions, forwarding irate customers to a dead end extension that never picks up, and calling random apartment renters to ask if they'd like to purchase an extended home warranty. Assuming that is a company's line of business.
If a company is going to train their customer support staff to be inexpensive mind numbed robots, then they should take it to the next level and replace them with actual robots who can perform the same job faster and for less money.
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Instead, seek what they sought." - Matsuo Basho
June 18, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Eric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 2:36 PMJeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:54 PMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:23 PMJeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:51 AMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:25 AMIt's no surprise that, after manufacturing, customer service would be the next industry to be automated. In the past, folks who worked behind the counter or answered the phone were professionals, but today they are just mind numbed human robots who facilitate transactions or read from scripts. In all fairness, they're doing their jobs exactly the way they were trained by corporate management. But it's almost as if they are human prototypes for the next generation of automated bots.If such "customer service" bots are "trained" by the same idiots that program the IVRs for many companies, we're in deep Kimchi.
The customer service bots are trained to provide the same level of service as customer service humans (or humanoids).
Not the ones that I've come across... especially not those bloody IVRs.
For what it's worth, a support bot is just as capable as a basement full of low end support humans when it comes to routine tasks like: answering frequently asked questions, forwarding irate customers to a dead end extension that never picks up, and calling random apartment renters to ask if they'd like to purchase an extended home warranty. Assuming that is a company's line of business.
If a company is going to train their customer support staff to be inexpensive mind numbed robots, then they should take it to the next level and replace them with actual robots who can perform the same job faster and for less money.
Ah... I see what you're saying. Yes... a company can train out the "service" part of "customer service" whether it's a human or a bot.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
June 18, 2018 at 11:45 pm
Beatrix Kiddo - Monday, June 18, 2018 9:30 AMBenWard - Monday, June 18, 2018 5:28 AMPeter Heller - Monday, June 18, 2018 4:31 AM... driverless vehicles will need technologically savvy drone drivers at trucking driver centers.Being a truck driver and being able to work from home doing it... what is the world coming to?
😀
This has really tickled me for some reason.
Like being a military pilot and working abroad from home
June 19, 2018 at 6:10 am
Jeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 5:12 PMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 2:36 PMJeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:54 PMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 1:23 PMJeff Moden - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:51 AMEric M Russell - Monday, June 18, 2018 8:25 AMIt's no surprise that, after manufacturing, customer service would be the next industry to be automated. In the past, folks who worked behind the counter or answered the phone were professionals, but today they are just mind numbed human robots who facilitate transactions or read from scripts. In all fairness, they're doing their jobs exactly the way they were trained by corporate management. But it's almost as if they are human prototypes for the next generation of automated bots.If such "customer service" bots are "trained" by the same idiots that program the IVRs for many companies, we're in deep Kimchi.
The customer service bots are trained to provide the same level of service as customer service humans (or humanoids).
Not the ones that I've come across... especially not those bloody IVRs.
For what it's worth, a support bot is just as capable as a basement full of low end support humans when it comes to routine tasks like: answering frequently asked questions, forwarding irate customers to a dead end extension that never picks up, and calling random apartment renters to ask if they'd like to purchase an extended home warranty. Assuming that is a company's line of business.
If a company is going to train their customer support staff to be inexpensive mind numbed robots, then they should take it to the next level and replace them with actual robots who can perform the same job faster and for less money.
Ah... I see what you're saying. Yes... a company can train out the "service" part of "customer service" whether it's a human or a bot.
I got to tell you, I ran into this recently with AT&T when trying to add more data to my plan that day right at the end of the billing cycle. I was going on a trip and I was out of data. I needed to have data for my laptop so I could work on the road.
The first option for support was live chat. Thought this was with a human, but it was with a bot. Pretty much got me no where with the questions I was asking. Was insanely frustrating. Had to spaz out in the bot window (type a bunch of random stuff) until it pushed me to a human. Then I got my problem solved.
For the basics, I'm sure it works great. But when you start getting into specific scenarios like adding an extra gig of data for a day to go on a trip, things start breaking down badly. I'm sure this will be the case for a number of other roles on this list. All it takes is for a decimal to be off one spot to cause a lot of damage in say the financial sector for example. That be the end of that bot usage.
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