Harshi,      Oct 25 2017 10:37AM

Robots vs Humans

I read an article that suggested that humans are becoming obsolete in the workforce.  The general idea is that robots are smarter than people, make fewer mistakes, and they don’t get bored.

While I agree that some jobs may indeed be better performed by a robot (such as testing bombs), I took exception to a few…such as a babysitter.  Seriously?  I doubt I will ever leave my kids in the hands of a robot!

Robots have their place, but they can’t take over the workforce.  For instance, robots don’t have common sense (yes, I agree…some people don’t either).  They don’t have creativity or the ability of abstract thought processes.  Robots don’t have desire and motivation to improve.  

Rob Miller, a professor of computer science at MIT, says that social and cultural understanding is another area in which humans will always exceed computers.  People are always inventing new slang, watching the latest YouTube videos and popular movies, or engaging in other cultural activities together.  Miller says that that is something an algorithm programed into a robot won’t ever be able to do.  “There’s always going to be a frontier of human understanding that leads the machines,” he says.

So while computers and robots have their place, movies like I, Robot are indeed fiction.  And as for a robot babysitter…I will be sticking with teenager down the street!