![\"Kids](\"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/assets\/\/kids-coding.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
by Luke Chambers<\/em><\/p>\n Sutton Trust releases report showing robotics and AI will worsen social mobility \u00a0 What it said and why it\u2019s wrong by Luke Chambers \u00a0 One of the most repeated terms in relation to robotics is \u2018Robotics will lead to significant job losses\u2019 and \u2018robots are replacing our workers\u2019. So much so that it now competes<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":35215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"subtitle":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1962],"tags":[7276],"class_list":["post-35213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-leisure","tag-robotics-en-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/77"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35213"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35213\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rudebaguette.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nOne of the most repeated terms in relation to robotics is <\/span>\u2018Robotics will lead to significant job losses\u2019<\/strong> and <\/span>\u2018robots are replacing our workers<\/strong>\u2019<\/span><\/span>. So much so that it now competes with other urban myths like \u2018people swallow 7 spiders a year in their sleep\u2019.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe thing is, there\u2019s no historical evidence to show that\u2019s the case<\/strong>. It\u2019s true that robots are replacing humans in some jobs, <\/span>but they\u2019re also creating new jobs that didn\u2019t exist before<\/strong>.<\/strong> The same worry <\/span>was parroted<\/span><\/span> when computers became commonplace. <\/span>It’s true, computers have replaced most bank tellers, production line operatives, payroll administrators, shop employees and librarians<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>However<\/span><\/span>, where corporate payroll administrators have gone <\/span><\/span>largely<\/span><\/span> extinct we now have corporate IT departments, where shop employees are <\/span><\/span>rapidly<\/span><\/span> going the way of the dinosaur we now have delivery drivers for services like Amazon, where bank tellers have <\/span><\/span>been replaced by<\/span><\/span> ATMs and online services we now have software\/app developers and online helpdesk agents<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nTechnology changes society, and it should<\/strong>.<\/strong> Advancement both technological and social are <\/span>just<\/span><\/span> part of human life. It\u2019s been doing that for thousands of years. <\/span>Those who talk about the \u2018good old days\u2019 forget that those \u2018good old days\u2019 displaced and replaced the \u2018even gooder, even older days\u2019 that came before that<\/span><\/span>. In 1870, 70% to 80% of the \u2018developed\u2019 world\u2019s population <\/span>was employed<\/span><\/span> in the agriculture sector. Today it is 1%.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThis is why when I saw a report by UK social mobility charity Sutton Trust being <\/span><\/span>widely<\/span><\/span> shared with the claims that robotics and AI (today\u2019s common bogeymen) will limit social mobility \u2013 I was pretty sceptical<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>Newspapers around the world ran with headlines such as \u2018Rise of robots will break the social ladder and could cost 15 million jobs\u2019 (Sky News) and \u2018Poorer workers hardest hit by strong arm of robotics\u2019 (Financial Times)<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe main reason I was sceptical is that I grew up in some of the poorest areas in the United Kingdom<\/strong>.<\/strong> For much of my childhood and early adulthood, I was as poor as it was possible to be without being homeless. <\/span>Even now as a young adult currently studying a degree at university I live in an area renowned for its poverty where murder, violent crime and theft are news to no-one<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nBut here\u2019s the thing \u2013 the degree I am studying is Artificial Intelligence. <\/span>Soon <\/span><\/span>I hope to<\/span><\/span> specialise in robotics, and my current grades <\/span><\/span>indicate<\/span><\/span> I will be eligible for access to that specialty with no problem at all<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>What\u2019s more, most people on that course with me come from similar socio-economic backgrounds<\/span><\/strong>.<\/strong> Very few have much disposable income. We compare stories of our childhood when we would make toys out of branches. And of our mothers who were working 16 hour days to keep a roof over our heads.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nSo when this report hit that claimed poorer people lack the \u2018soft skills\u2019 such as confidence and communication to move into the robotics and AI sector, my immediate reaction was to scoff<\/span><\/span>. Further reading did not instil me with a whole lot of confidence either.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe idea behind the report is that poor people, being the knuckle-dragging, grunting cavemen that they are, do not have the natural leadership or innovative prowess of those who are wealthier and better educated<\/span>.<\/strong> The report glammed this up a bit, but that was the vibe I got from it. <\/span>The truth is that people from poorer backgrounds have assets that those from wealthier backgrounds do not have<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>Those from disadvantaged economic foundations have great skill in making \u2018something out of nothing\u2019 and are able to innovate <\/span><\/span>extremely<\/span><\/span> quickly<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>This is because both of those skills have <\/span><\/span>been used<\/span><\/span> their entire lives <\/span><\/span>just<\/span><\/span> to get by, and are priceless to any employer<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nOne of the major sweeping claims that <\/span><\/span>were made<\/span><\/span> in the report was that paraprofessional jobs such as paralegals or administrators which were stepping stones into professional jobs were being eradicated and <\/span><\/span>therefore<\/span><\/span> it was difficult for those without a firm education in that area to progress<\/span><\/span>. This in itself is laughable. <\/span>A single visit to codecademy.com will allow you to see the company\u2019s slogan \u2018Learn to code <\/span><\/span>interactively<\/span><\/span>, for free.\u2019 which is <\/span><\/span>entirely<\/span><\/span> accurate<\/span><\/span>. You can go from knowing no code at all to designing your own software at no cost and in your spare time. Codecademy is only the most well-known one. There are sites and apps galore that allow you to learn to code at your own pace and in your own style. The internet is flush with \u2018stepping-stone\u2019 courses.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nMy own experience of those from the lower income bracket representing more than a fair share in the realm of technology is not <\/span><\/span>just<\/span><\/span> an anecdote<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>The number of students studying STEM subjects in the United Kingdom are at an all-time high,<\/strong> and this <\/span><\/span>is mirrored<\/span><\/span> in almost every other country with records on such matters<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>Coming on the tail end of a massive economic downturn, many of these students are from low-income families<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nThe main point is that social mobility for most people in the technological age relies not on education or finances but on sheer drive<\/span>. <\/strong>There are ample tools out there to adjust to the shift in job roles, and everyone from a store clerk to a teacher to a doctor could, if they wanted, retrain <\/span><\/span>easily<\/span><\/span> to be able to work in the field of robotics, AI or other similar areas<\/span><\/span>. <\/span>Even many homeless people in the modern age have a certain degree of technical and digital competency \u2013 with 2nd hand smartphones being commonplace amongst rough sleepers<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\nThe Sutton Trust\u2019s claims <\/span>are based<\/span> on a gross misrepresentation of the abilities of those from a low income bracket<\/span>. <\/strong>They are also powered by a general fear and misunderstanding of robotics and AI, as well as automation\u2019s role in the change of employment sectors<\/span><\/span>. It is true that in a decade\u2019s time up to 50% of today\u2019s jobs won\u2019t exist, but they will <\/span>be replaced by<\/span><\/span> others. <\/span>Even if these jobs do <\/span>require<\/span> some specialist knowledge \u2013 such as coding or engineering \u2013 there are ample free or inexpensive resources available for those who wish to retrain<\/span>. <\/strong>It is true, and I concede the point, that more government involvement in promoting the ability to retrain for these new sectors would be helpful for those on a low income \u2013 but to say that being on low income is in itself a barrier to forging a career in AI or robotics is an exercise in hyperbole and serves only to <\/span><\/span>vastly<\/span><\/span> underestimate the power of basic human ambition<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\nIn short, artificial intelligence and robotics is no more a barrier to social mobility than computers, phones or the internet<\/span>. <\/strong>It is the latest in a long line of bogeymen, and vilifying them with shaky reports and hyperbolic conjecture is of use to very few people except those who seek to profit from that fear<\/span><\/span>. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"