If you are anything like me, you have shuddered one too many times thinking about the advancements in artificial intelligence and the possibility of intelligent robots taking over the world. When consuming content on the internet, one has to be careful to distinguish between fact and myth, evidence-based predictions and mere speculations, and information and misinformation. And this holds when you take to the internet to read about robotics and AI.
We all would like to know what to expect in the years to come: Are the “machines” going to continue making our daily lives easier? Can we expect robots to mingle in our lives and societies flawlessly? Or will the AI take over all the control from humans, such that we are reduced to the peripheries of our world in terms of power and agency?
If such questions have crossed your mind, and if you would like to know more about robots and artificial intelligence, the next book you should get your hands on is Preparing for the AI and Robotic Revolution. Written by Noel Jerke and Grayson Jerke, this book traces robots and AI from their conception to the present day and moves on to predict what our world will look like in the future due to advancements in technology and AI. It also then tells us how to prepare for such a changing world.
What Topics Does the Book Cover?
The book starts with the basics. From defining the terms robots and artificial intelligence, it moves on to make it clear why these two are relevant for an ordinary person: mainly, because intelligent robots will take over many jobs, and while they will improve the quality of our lives, they may take away the source of our livelihood. Thus, we need to learn how to survive in such an environment.
The authors help us situate robots and AI in history briefly and interestingly. They draw on Greek, Egyptian, and Muslim history and myth to present the conception of robots. They then shortly go over the significant developments made in robots over time and cover the history of AI. What follows are two chapters devoted to making the readers understand how robots and AI have permeated many levels of our society. Any questions you may have had about robots, AI and their role in our world will be answered here.
The book devotes two chapters to the real-world uses of AI and robots. It dives deep into the advantages of AI and robots and discusses the risks they pose to our society, thus presenting us with both sides of the coin. Next, the book alerts us to the state of AI and robotics in the present world, and then it moves on to talk about what the future looks like, how jobs will be affected, and how one can prepare for the coming change.
What Sources Does the Book Draw on?
The book is written in an easy-to-understand style, using simple language that effectively conveys the point. It makes use of many allusions to pop cultures, such as George Orwell’s famous novel 1984, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and the super-hit series The Terminator. What is great about these and many other references to pop culture is that they aren’t there for ornamental purposes but rather add to the reader’s understanding of the topic at hand, regardless of whether they have watched/read the original thing or not.
Information distilled from academic articles, researches, and authority websites is dispersed throughout the book. The most endearing quality of the book is that it makes no claims it cannot justify. Instead, it connects findings of one study to another, presents facts and information related to robots and AI from fields as diverse as medicine, finance, manufacturing, and services, and forms a coherent link between the available data to make justified predictions about the future.
The Practical Insights Offered by the Book
The most useful aspect of the book is that it not only alerts you to the state of robotics and AI in today’s world and the likely state of things in the near future, but it also prepares you for living, surviving, and thriving in a world where robots have permeated in the society. The book provides information and statistics about the jobs that will be lost to technology, mostly those involving numbers, calculations, customer service, and other repetitive and monotonous tasks. It also tells us which jobs will be more in-demand than ever, mainly those involving management, coordination, problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking.
While this book confirmed some of my suspicions about the robotic revolution, it also refuted others. It made me understand that the robotic revolution is already here and very much a part of our lives. Examples of AI inventions include virtual voice assistants on our phones like Siri and Alexa, robotic vacuum cleaners, robots that assist in surgeries, self-driving cars, chatbots, self-serving machines at McDonald’s’ and robots sent to space for exploration.
The Overall Tone and Message of the Book
Though this book presents a well-rounded and realistic picture of the past, present, and future of robotics and AI, it is also optimistic in the sense that it does not see any imminent doom or threat at hand. It also advocates for a more acceptance-based approach towards AI and robotics, which makes sense considering the funding that is being put into AI research. Businesses will be quick to incorporate AI-empowered robots into workforces for benefits such as efficiency, accuracy, and lower costs. People will also accept AI and robots in daily life for the increased ease they offer.
With this understanding, it is better to prepare for a future where robots will permeate our society. While robots will take many positions, it is helpful to remember that new jobs will be generated for every job replaced by robots, particularly those relating to the creation of robots, their algorithms, and their maintenance. However, there is no denying the fact that there will be a period of transition in the near future where many people will find themselves jobless, and to avoid such a scenario, the book gives practical advice on what skills to acquire that will provide you with an edge in the marketplace and make you irreplaceable.
Who Should Read This Book?
Preparing for the AI and Robotic Revolution should especially be read by employers and employees, parents, educators, and students to help realize how the job landscape will change with the arrival of intelligent robots and what they can do to best prepare for it. The book should also be read by people who want to understand how the advancement in AI and robotics will affect our lives and shape the world in the near future. Find out more about AI and robotics at RobotsAuthority.com as well!