WILL ROBOTS TAKE MY JOB?
The Rise of Machines & Automation
OUR IDEAS ABOUT ROBOTS HAVEN’T CHANGED IN NEARLY 100 YEARS.
BUT OUR FEELINGS ABOUT
A FUTURE WITH THEM HAS.
Past depictions in media led to a cultural fascination with robots, but also stoked fear about the dangers
of technology & automation in the future…
Today, with new advances in workplace automation, many
of these age-old fears are finally being realized.
Robots in the workplace are already plentiful & will only continue to grow, leaving us wondering not just WHETHER robots will take our jobs, but rather… WHEN?
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN PREOCCUPIED WITH ROBOTS
Since the advent of the Mechanical Turk, we
are fascinated by automation but terrified by
its lack of humanity. Robots in Pop Culture
mirror our greatest fears and amplify
our hopes of what is to come.
Bad / Evil Robots in Film
(as % of total films with robots by year)
RISE OF THE MACHINES
Anti-robotics and automation was at an all-time high. As the nation industrialized, people saw the first hands effects of mechanization. And they didn’t like it.
THE COLD WAR
Robots became a proxy for the Soviet Union. When aiding democracy, robots were good. When used by autocrats, they represented evil.
THE STAR
WARS EFFECT
Films promote positive views of robots, after the commercial pop success of C-3PO and R2-D2.
RADIOSHACK & ROBOTS
The rise of PCs and home gadgets made us contemplate a future where handheld gadgets became our very hands.
iM NOT SURE
Robots become ubiquities in our lives presenting us with complex questions about our future. Can robots be evil? Or are they simply a reflection of the society that created them?
ROBOTS ARE COMING FOR (SOME) OF OUR JOBS
So, it's no surprise we are worried that
The perception is that manual jobs are destined for robots. The truth is a little different.
Routine jobs, regardless of if they’re cognitive or manual, are the ones have already started to be automated
and mechanized. These jobs have seen a 10pp reduction in openings over the last 20 years due to automation.
Non-routine jobs, which don’t follow patterns, are hard for today’s robots to mimic.
NONROUTINE COGNITIVE
Ex. Doctors,
Public Relations
NONROUTINE MANUAL
Ex. Janitorial Work,
Stocking Shelves
ROUTINE COGNITIVE
Ex. Bank Teller,
Bookkeeper
ROUTINE
MANUAL
Ex. Construction Trades, Manufacturing
& THE RISE OF ROBOTS SHOWS NO SIGNS OF SLOWING
The application of robots is growing, while humans continue to speculate on how this might impact them…
+13%
Robot installation growth expected in the next year. Human job growth? Just +3%.
82%
of humans think robots will do much of the work we do today by 2050. Yet 70% of people say that their job will not be impacted by robotics or automation.
+$15T
AI has the potential to boost global GDP this much by 2030. That would be like adding 1,372,905,975 humans
to the workforce.
BUT DON'T WORRY JUST YET
Robots, AI and Automation are a long way off from changing the world.
Algorithms have repeatedly been shown to have deep flaws around race and gender.
Exposed to the internet, a chat bot
quickly becomes sexist and pro-Hitler.
Robots fall short in traditionally human-held jobs. Real-life example: a security robot's workday was cut short when it drowned in a fountain.
"In the meantime, here are 10 jobs you can literally do today with a robotic partner at the edge of your own workspace."
Case in Point
WILL ROBOTS TAKE MY JOB?
Four trends that will hold true in 2023 and their impact on marketers
Hover over each topic to learn more
01.
DISTRUST
OF AI AND ALGORITHMS
02.
REJECT
RECOMMEND-ATIONS
03.
AI TO
HELP SHAPE CREATIVE
04.
SEE (AND NOT SEE) ROBOTS EVERYWHERE
AI and blackbox technologies are increasingly distrusted and viewed negatively by
the public
Marketing Implications
Using AI, Automation as
a marketing hook may
hurt brand perceptions
02.
03.
04.
We asked an AI to help us finish the headline, here is what it came up with:
01.
DISTRUST OF AI AND ALGORITHMS
REJECT RECO-MMENDATIONS
While small, a growing number of streamers state they are more likely to seek content rather than go with recommendations
Marketing Implications
In addition to cost, shift to
free AVOD (channel surfing) to promote discovery
AI TO HELP
SHAPE CREATIVE
After the recent success of
an AI winning an art contest, expect a wave of new companies exploring ways
for AI to help create images
Marketing Implications
Expect AI to play a
larger role in creating ads
SEE (and NOT SEE)
Aging populations and high labor demand have turned many companies to AI and robotics; 2022 hit an all-time high for robot installations
Marketing Implications
Expect AI and Robots to be used alongside existing roles across the job spectrum
ROBOTS EVERYWHERE
HOW THE RISE OF ROBOTS & AUTOMATION COULD BECOME THE NEXT (HUMAN) RENAISSANCE
Future Predictions:
AUTOMATION = HUMAN VALUATION
In places where automation is failing, demand and salaries for (human) jobs are projected to grow 10x those in automated fields.
LABELING REQUIREMENTS
Am I talking to a line of code? Did the video I get recommended come from an algorithm? Expect that push for transparency to come in the form of disclosures and labeling.
THE FUTURE IS NEUTRAL
Computers are not making their own AI (yet).
Having HAL or C-3PO work besides us is still our choice.
THANK YOU
For more information, please reach out:
VP, Client Strategy
Sean.Wright@nbcuni.com
Sean Wright
BACK TO TOP
Sources: FRED, WSJ, Third Way
Click for Source
Sources: Intl. Federation of Robotics, Statista,
Intl. Labour Organization, Pew Research, PwC, World Bank
Click for Source
Sources:
Click for Source
TalktoTransform;
1) NYTimes;
2) Entrepreneur;
3) The Verge
Sources:
1) PEW;
Click for Source
2) MRI Cord Cutting Study 2019-2022;
3) Fortune;
4) WSJ;
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Click for Source
Source: NBCU Internal Analysis of Films
Click for Source
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