Be afraid, be very afraid: the robots are coming and they will destroy our livelihoods

Be afraid, be very afraid: the robots are coming and they will destroy our livelihoods

They are coming to an office near you: job-gobbling robots that can do your work better and more cheaply than you can. One in three jobs could be taken over by a computer or a robot in the next 20 years. Most at risk are less skilled workers such as machine operators, postmen, care workers and professional drivers. The CEO of Uber, the ride-sharing company, recently said that his goal is to replace all the firm’s drivers with autonomous cars. That’s the view of the tech pessimists, but others would argue that all this automation anxiety is overblown. While advances in technology have always caused disruption, in the long run they have led to the creation of more jobs. To give an example, in the 19th century the industrial revolution wiped out jobs on the land as farm workers were replaced by machinery, but millions found new work in factories as they sprang up in the cities. Why should things be different with the AI revolution? We were joined by a panel of experts to debate the motion "The robots are... Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/intelligencesquared. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(1526)

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part One)

Can Britain Become an AI Superpower? The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook (Part One)

A record £2.9 billion was invested in British AI companies last year as Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to make the UK an AI superpower. But according to influential business leaders such as Jensen ...

25 Jan 36min

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part Two)

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part Two)

Do you feel as if there is often too much to do in too little time? We are all familiar with overwhelm – an unsettling sense that it is just impossible to keep up with the demands of everyday life. I...

23 Jan 39min

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part One)

How To Take the Pressure Off and Live Well, with Claudia Hammond (Part One)

Do you feel as if there is often too much to do in too little time? We are all familiar with overwhelm – an unsettling sense that it is just impossible to keep up with the demands of everyday life. I...

21 Jan 35min

Is Greece Becoming the New Borderland Between East and West? With Sean Matthews

Is Greece Becoming the New Borderland Between East and West? With Sean Matthews

How does Greece’s Byzantine and Ottoman past shape its future? In this episode, Helen Carr speaks to journalist and author Sean Matthews about Greece’s shifting geopolitical role and alliances. Caug...

19 Jan 43min

An Evening with Alan Davies (Part Two)

An Evening with Alan Davies (Part Two)

Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003.  In September 2025 he ...

18 Jan 36min

An Evening with Alan Davies (Part One)

An Evening with Alan Davies (Part One)

Alan Davies is one of the UK’s most-loved comedians best known for starring in the BBC series Jonathan Creek, and for his regular appearances on comedy quiz show QI since 2003.  In September 2025 he ...

16 Jan 38min

How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming our Relationships? With James Muldoon

How is Artificial Intelligence Transforming our Relationships? With James Muldoon

It is over ten years since the release of Spike Jonze’s film Her, in which a lonely man begins a relationship with a computer programme voiced by Scarlett Johansson. Since then, AI companions have sur...

14 Jan 48min

Julia Ioffe and Clarissa Ward on Putin, Russia and the Women Fighting For A Better Future (Part Two)

Julia Ioffe and Clarissa Ward on Putin, Russia and the Women Fighting For A Better Future (Part Two)

Russian-born journalist Julia Ioffe is one of America’s most influential voices on Russia-US relations, reporting on Putin’s regime for over 15 years. Her new book, Motherland – which has been longlis...

12 Jan 37min

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