Scott Anderson

COM 105 – Tuesday-Thursday/2:00-4:30

Fall 2018 – Coles Cone

The New Technological Revolution

Introduction

I. 2020 is a pivotal point for many reasons.

A. In this year we will be looking towards the future more than ever.
B. This is the year when artificial intelligence and robotics will reach a turning point
in technological (Van Der Meulen, 2017).
II. But that technological advancement in robotics is one of great controversy.
III. Fear is instilled in the American population.
IV. Will these technologically advancements take jobs away from hard working Americans,
or will it bring about a new age of prosperity, job growth, and improved quality of life.

(Transition: To understand this controversy, first you must understand the fear behind it.)

Body

I. Many jobs are at risk of being replaced by robotics.

A. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has estimated that 80,000 fast food jobs will
disappear over the next few years (McFarland, 2017).
B. It is more effective to buy robotics than to continuously hire employees.
1. Stores such as Walmart have already seen decreases in cashiers through
the use of self-check outs (McFarland, 2017).
2. McDonald’s chief executive Edward Rensi said it best to CNN (2017),
“It's cheaper to buy a $35,000 robotic arm than it is to hire an employee
who's inefficient making $15 an hour bagging French fries”
C. There have been decreases in jobs in higher end jobs as well.
1. Airline pilots and lawyers have both seen a job decline in the last 10 years
(Williams, 2017).
 2. On Wall Street, brokers are being shoved out by robots, A.I. and complex
algorithms that can do their jobs much faster and more efficient (Williams,
2017).
D. A study done by the University of Oxford Department of Engineering Science
estimated that 47 percent of current jobs have the potential to fall victim to
automation within a decade or two (Department of Engineering Science, 2013).
II. But all of that does not consider job growth in other fields that will come about through
these advancements in technology.
A. This new robotic revolution is just one in a long line of technological revolutions.
1. The industrial revolution threatened to take away many jobs of individual
craftsmen, but over time, new jobs were created, and employment grew
(Arnold, 2018).
2. The same will happen with this robotic revolution.
B. While some jobs may be lost, around 1.8 million according to one study from
Gartner Research (2017), the same study predicts that 2.3 million new ones will
be created.
C. Most of the jobs that will be replaced by robotics should be replaced
1. Many of these prospective jobs are extremely dangerous (Arnold, 2017).
2. These jobs include coal mining, garbage patrol, and more (Arnold, 2017).
D. Many jobs that incorporate robotics will not be removed by it.
1. Medicine has already incorporated robotic tools that can perform accurate
diagnoses and surgery (Arnold, 2017)
2. But doctors have not lost their jobs to this technology (Arnold, 2017).
E. The key to not losing jobs but gaining them instead is to incorporate the new
technology into the fields alongside humans.

(Transition: So, where does that leave us? The future members of the workforce. What will come
of this next technological revolution in robotics?)

Conclusion

I. So, I raise the question, what will come of this next technological revolution in robotics
and artificial intelligence.
 II. It could go either way, but this new technological revolution is coming.
III. Because, as the Korean American artist, Nam June Paik once said, “The Future is now.”
 References

Arnold, A. (2018). Why Robots Will Not Take Over Human Jobs. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewarnold/2018/03/27/why-robots-will-not-take-over-
human-jobs/#10820dd292fd

Department of Engineering Science. (2013). New study shows nearly half of US jobs at risk of
computerization. Retrieved from http://www.eng.ox.ac.uk/about/news/new-study-shows-
nearly-half-of-us-jobs-at-risk-of-computerisation

McFarland, M. (2017). Robots: Is your job at risk? Retrieved from

https://money.cnn.com/2017/09/15/technology/jobs-robots/index.html

Van Der Meulen, R. (2017). Gartner Says By 2020, Artificial Intelligence Will Create More Jobs
Than It Eliminates. Retrieved from https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3837763

Williams, A. (2017). Will Robots Take Our Children's Jobs? Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/style/robots-jobs-children.html