Earth & Beyond 17 October 2014 | Page 3

erate, over the coming man d e c a d e . the end, as Lee Rainie, When the world popu- Where they capabilities”. another In likely to be created. c o - lation was a few hun- author of dred million people t h e there were hundreds of millions of jobs. Alt- split is in the societal response to that dis- placement. report, The optimists predict that the economic hough puts it, it could result t h e r e in a have boom that would result “freedom from day-to- from day drudger that allows unemployed costs vastly to reduced businesses ways in a more positive and billion tion of new jobs in socially beneficial way”. newfound premium Microsoft’s that value of work that re- continue quires jobs, hu- people, people there were billions of jobs. Jonathan There is no shortage of Grudin told researchers things that need to be being placed on the “uniquely been people to define work when we reached a few would lead to the creahuge numbers, and a al- “Technology but to will done and that will not disrupt change.” more jobs But the pessimists seem worry that the benefits of the labor replacement will accrue to those already wealthy enough to own the automatons, be that in the form of patents for algorithmic workers or the physical form of robots.