Running head: ROBOTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Robots in the Workplace

Jahci Heath
Oct. 26 2014

Running head: ROBOTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Robots in the Workplace
Technology is a thriving field in America. Our love for technology has us
constantly searching for the next big thing. What if that next big thing has the ability to
take away jobs? Robots are slowly popularizing in the workforce. There are lots of

examples of routine, middle-skilled jobs that involve relatively structured tasksthat are
being eliminated, says Kroft (2013). Their usage is starting to raise the eyebrows of
many Americans. People are questioning the reliability of the robots, the future of human
workers, and the economy of the country.
With the invasion of robots in the workplace, skeptics doubt the reliability of
automation. The concern comes mostly from those who have seen jobs such as pharmacy
technicians and security guards become tasks for robots. For instance,
Bob, a robot security guard patrols an office, he scans different rooms
using 3D capabilities and reports abnormalities (Crossley 2014). The
idea of trusting a robot to protect and serve is a bit bizarre, as well as
a robot dispensing medicines that could potentially be the difference
between life and death for someone. There are several mishaps that
could take place and alter the robots ability to do its job.

Figure 2. South West News. June 16,2014

A major concern for humans, while robots are taking over jobs, is what is left for
them to do. Soon, all that will be left for human beings will be the non-routine, creative
work (Boyd, 2014). This research indicates most of everything left will be managers,
talents, engineers, and healthcare workers. These jobs are already scarce; imagine if
everyone in the world were going after all of the same jobs. In addition, half of all
occupations are at risk of going the way of the telephone operator, from human workers

Running head: ROBOTS IN THE WORKPLACE

to robots, in approximately one or two decades (Boyd, 2014). Eventually, the workforces
competition rate will be at an all-time high.
As the backbone of our country, the affects robots will have on the economy and
the livelihood of Americans is being analyzed. In our most recent recession, the
unemployment rate was in the 10 percent rage, and our country was near devastation
(Nisen, 2013). Now, with the rise of the use of automation, the unemployment rate could
reach close to 75 percent by the end of the century (Nisen 2013). How will not only
Americans but also America as a country make it with only 25 percent of the population
working? This research supports the generalization that company owners, C.E.Os,
C.O.Os and etcetera will be living lavishly while the rest of the country is struggling
from day to day.
It is often argued that the use of robotics will help America as a whole. The use of
automation is cheaper than paying the salary of
a working person. For instance, the Baxter robot
is $22,000, while some workers receive this
yearly, this is paid once for Baxter and he has
unlimited usage (Kelly, 2012). Yes, this is true;
however, what happens when Baxter breaks down
or malfunctions? In addition, robots can work in

Figure 1. Stephen F. Bevacqua March9, 2013.

unsafe areas that humans cannot. Once again, this is a major advantage of using robots
over humans, but there is always something that could go wrong. With humans, it is a
given as to which conditions they can be placed under.

Running head: ROBOTS IN THE WORKPLACE

Finally, technology is a thriving field that we cherish in America. We get so

involved in the advancement of technology that we do not know when to stop advancing.
Although, it looks as if America will soon see what technology can and cannot do for our
country. A new wave of automation is sweeping the country and taking away jobs while
company owners are in awe. The use of technology such as robots has Americans
wanting answers. Americans want to know how reliable these robots are, what happens to
them when robots take all the jobs and how automation will affect the economy.

Running head: ROBOTS IN THE WORKPLACE

References
Boyd, S. (2014). When robots take over most jobs, what will be the purpose of humans?
Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stoweboyd/robots-jobs-purpose-humans_b_5689813.html
Crossley, R. (2014). Will workplace robots cost more jobs than they create? BBC.
Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27995372
Kelly, K. (2012). Better than human: why robots will-and must-take our jobs. WIRED
Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/2012/12/ff-robots-will-take-our-jobs/all/
Kroft, S. (2013). Robots on the rise in the workplace. CBS News. Retrieved from
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/robots-on-the-rise-in-the-workplace/
Nisen, M. (2013). Robot economy could cause up to 75 percent unemployment. Business
Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/50-percentunemployment-robot-economy-2013-1