IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - September 2019 - 89

applications. This shows that what we
need is technological awareness and a
public debate about the part we want
robots to play in the future.
Encourage Technological
Cocreation
Technological choices are made by
human beings, and we need to ensure
that this is done in a thoughtful and
democratic way. Researchers in technical
disciplines, therefore, should cooperate
with researchers from the social science,
humanities, and medical sectors. End
users also need to be part of the development process from the outset, so that
technological solutions are not simply
imposed on them. The search for added
value should not be allowed to take place
without considering the new conflicts
and disadvantages this may involve.
Redistribute Work Between
Humans and Technology
Questions we will need to resolve
include the following. Which jobs and
responsibilities do we want people to
hang on to, and which do we leave to
robots? In many cases, it is ultimately
the customer who will decide. Will people opt for self-driving cars, or will they
want to keep their hands on the wheel?
Will they eat at robot restaurants, or
will they stick with their favorite bartender or restaurant server?
Many experts point out that not only
will some jobs disappear, new-as yet
unheard of-ones will also be created,
such as chief trust officer, data detective, or human-machine teaming manager. However, everyone agrees that the
way we do many of our jobs will change
as a result of technology.
Placing human beings in the leading role and technology in the supporting role is a choice that we, as a
society, must also apply with care so
that we still have people looking after
other people. We are therefore in favor
of investing in and developing complementary machines that allow human
beings and robots to work together,
rather than substituting robots for
people. The goal of our economy should
not be to replace as many people as
possible with robots but to improve

production by getting human beings
and robotics to work together, making
our jobs healthier and more attractive.
Support Lifelong Learning
We know from various studies that artificial intelligence and robotics will
indeed have a substantial impact on
employment. Not only will certain jobs
disappear as a result of technology; the
content of our jobs will also change.
Almost all jobs will increasingly require
employees to learn to work with technology. This calls for ongoing training in
new technologies, beginning at school
and continuing into the workplace.
Young people need to be taught to excel
in those areas where robots are weak,
such as creativity, empathy, and cooperation. A world comprising science,
technology, engineering, math, and
computational thinking will need
to place a much greater emphasis on
attaining established educational targets.
However, in a rapidly changing world,
learning does not stop when one finishes school. To prevent employees from
missing out in this area, government
must continue to encourage and support
lifelong learning in the workplace.
Encourage Technological
Entrepreneurship
Robots and artificial intelligence represent an immense new market, giving rise
to new services and ecosystems that may
be even more significant. The size of
these markets means that robots are in a
position to disrupt and transform existing
economies. Investing in robotics at this
time is a tricky business, but prototypes
from research labs still need to evolve
toward market readiness, and technology
and markets need to be developed further. This will take time and money. Who
is prepared to take these great risks? Legislation must also follow technological
developments so that innovative companies have the legal certainty they need to
grow without infringing on the fundamental rights of citizens.
Reform the Funding Model for
the Welfare State
Just as at the beginning of the last century, when workers had to adapt to

industrial assembly lines, today's workers must adapt to technological assembly lines. We need to adapt our labor
market to this new technological
world: it goes without saying that we
cannot leave workers to their technological fate. As a society, we must take
steps to respond to this evolution, so
that everyone can participate and have
a role in society.
If we want to continue financing
We know from
the current welfare
various studies that
state in the future,
we will have to
artificial intelligence
t hin k about an
and robotics will
alternative model
to absorb the budindeed have a
getary impact of
substantial impact
technology on
jobs. This can be
on employment.
achieved, on the
one hand, by opting for a new tax
model that is less dependent on work
and, on the other, by ensuring that the
added value created by technology
benefits public finances.
Require Technological
Developments to Be Sustainable
The United Nations' Sustainable
Development Goals include 17 main
objectives that cover areas such as
climate, security, education, renewable energy, and poverty. Robotics
and artificial intelligence have the
potential to speed up progress
toward these goals but also bring
with them complex challenges. For
example, the World Food Program is
looking into self-driving trucks to
transport food in war zones. Drones
with sensors that can perform artificial intelligence analyses have the
potential to increase agricultural
productivity (almost 50% of crops
are lost through waste, overconsumption, and production inefficiencies). On the other hand, studies
suggest that the burden of job losses
due to robotization is likely to be primarily borne by low-wage countries
as the traditional advantage of low
labor costs is eroded. Politicians, civil
society, and trade unions will need to

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