(UK)
Robots could – and should – be used to improve the lives of the majority of people in the UK, according to a new study.
Published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), the Shaping Our Digital Future report sets out the ways in which working people can make gains from the age of automation. One example would be reversing the UK trend of regularly increasing the age people are entitles to the state pension by taking advantage of increased productivity levels.
“We need to make the most of the economic opportunities that new technologies are offering. Robots and AI could let us produce more for less, boosting national prosperity,” said TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady. “We should look on the changes ahead as an opportunity to improve the lives of working people and their families.
She added: “Robots are not just terminators. Some of today’s jobs will not survive, but new jobs will be created.”
This is in line with some of the recommendations made in a PwC report released earlier this year. It argued that robots could play a major role in ‘removing the monotony from our day jobs’ among other things.
“What’s important is making sure that the potential gains from automation are shared more widely across society and no one gets left behind,” said Jon Andrews, head of technology and investments at PwC.
