Man versus Machine in the Workplace:

Investigating the role of Artificial Intelligence in the Increasing Levels of Unemployment

Course

Date

Proposed Research Topic:

Man versus Machine in the Workplace: Investigating the role of Artificial Intelligence in the Increasing Levels of Unemployment

Current Understanding:

Even though there has been so many arguments for and against the possibility of man losing out completely in the scheme of things when Artificial Intelligence is applied to job, researchers seem to be divided about its effect – the increasing level of unemployment produced.

For example, Wiener (1948), (known as the father of cybernetics), predicted that the combination of “production machinery with computing machines would soon lead to… factory without employees” (as cited in Bailey, 2013, p. 48). One who takes a cursory look at the continuous advancement in technology may argue that not only did the predicted mass unemployment did not occur, but also that number of employed workers seem to be increasing globally.

MIT Sloan School of Management professor and his colleague, Brynjolfsson & McAfee (2012), however argue that over the last 10 to 15 years, the ongoing advances in computer technology are largely responsible for the slow growth in employment ( p. 10). Rather than help lay the dust to rest, Columbia and Boston Universities economists, Sachs & Kotlikoff lend their voices to the “debate” when they ask, “What if machines are getting so smart, thanks to their microprocessor brains, that they no longer need unskilled labor to operate” (as cited in Bailey, 2013, p. 48)?

Relevance of the topic:

There is no denying the fact that the workplace is becoming more and more reliant on smart machines. It is therefore important to understand the role(s) (if any) that smart machines play in the workplace and its contribution (or non-thereof) to the increasing level of unemployment. This research will not only give insights into the future of robotics and of jobs, but also contribute to the numerous existing body of knowledge regarding Human Resources Management, Business Administration, Robotics, manufacturing, and perhaps help lay to rest the issue of how susceptible jobs are to computerization. It is my aim to consult academic journals, magazines, textbooks, newspapers, internet, and libraries in the course of carrying out the research.

Questions:

Questions which this research will try to seek answers to (among others) are: Are smart machines really taking away our jobs? How can we carry out a thorough research that will help businesses and industries understand the ROI of applying AI to their businesses? Man against machine in the workplace: Are workers losing the war? What do existing literature say about these? These and many other questions are what the research will seek to find answers to.

References

Bailey, R. (2013, February 8). Were the Luddites right? Smart machines and the prospect of technological unemployment. Reason, 45(1), 48.

Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2012). Technology’s influence on employment and the economy. In Race against the machine: How the digital revolution is accelerating innovation, driving productivity, and irreversibly transforming employment and the economy (p. 10). Lexington, MA: Digital Frontier Press.