Robots Are Coming, But Not For Your Job

Ever since robots emerged from the pages of science-fiction novels into the real world, humans have feared being usurped in the workplace.

That worry may be more fictional than scientific. A recent study by the VDMA Robotics and Automation Association shows that previous waves of automation have not made labor obsolete. In fact, in Germany, Europe’s largest user of robots, increased deployment of machine labor in the automotive sector has coincided with a rise in human employment.

The VDMA’s hypothesis is that uniquely human skills, such as knowledge, dexterity, and creativity, will increase in value as routine tasks are progressively automated. Rather than machines replacing human intervention, it argues, the future of work will be one of intelligence augmentation -- or computers amplifying human intellect and capabilities.