You better think again. By some estimates, it’s a reality we might have to begin facing as early as 2025.
Consider the Sedasys machine, a Computer Assisted Personalized Sedation System, which was approved by the FDA last year. The Sedasys P080009 is a machine designed to administer Propofol to patients undergoing surgery and monitor their vital signs to ensure they get the correct dose.
The Sedasys does not get tired. It does not require vacation time, health benefits, or run the risk of malpractice suit due to human error. There are a significant number of Anesthesiologists that will no longer of economic value in their chosen profession. And that is not the only job in the medical field that is being replaced.
In a recent Harvard Business Review article, the authors indicate the following:
By 2025 these machines will have an IQ greater than 90% of the U.S. population. That 15 point increase in IQ over ten years would put another 50 million jobs within reach of smart machines.
The automation of our labor force will be the single biggest disruptive change to our society since the Internet. There will be no easy solutions because it will require that we change the very definition of what it means to work and live in a modern day economy.
My guess is that the days of working to survive are coming to an end. The current capitalist economy in the United States simply does not work when you have 40 or 50% unemployment.