Jun 28 2017
The newest exhibit at the Science Museum of London demonstrates the 500-year development of humanoid robots. In an interview with C. M. Rubin (Founder of CMRubinWorld and author of The Global Search for Education), Ling Lee explains what the newest tech advances mean for the future of education, the job market, and the self-perception of humankind.
While the future will see robots taking over most low-skilled jobs, Lee believes shifts in educational policies will enable humans to remain competitive. "Yes, some jobs will be given to humanoid robots" but "progress will march relentlessly on, so maybe a better question might be - what sort of education will you need to be employable in the future?"
Lee further explains that while cognitive robotics is rapidly evolving, changing the way our economy works is not necessarily a bad thing. "I think a more interesting question to ask is what jobs won't, or can't, humanoid robots take away, and what new jobs will emerge that we could never have dreamt of - human-robot relationship manger? ...If robots were productive enough that we no longer need to work and were instead paid a universal basic income, what job would you want?"
Lee believes humanoid robots will ultimately allow humans to re-define their goals as a society. "So who are you now, and who do you want to become, now that you've had a look into the mirror of Robots?"
Ling Lee is Co-Curator for the exhibition "Robots - The 500-Year Question to Make Machines Human." She is also the Contemporary Science Manager for Exhibitions at the Science Museum in London.