Lorionne Campbell
Mr. Gregory
English 101

Technology: Imminent Threat to the Economy
The power that equals humans’ three and a half pound brain is only equaled to the twenty watts of power a computer would need. Robots and computer software are progressively pushing out humans in the workplace. University of Oxford analyst Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osborne estimated in 2013 that forty-seven percent of total U.S. jobs could be automated and taken over by computers by 2033. Technology is nothing new nor is technology taking the place of humans in the workplace. Computer software is becoming more and more advanced, and will push humans out of work more and more until economic failure. Computer software takeover is all around. It is in the self-checkout of the grocery store to the hardware store robot. Computer software has already seized retail jobs in San Jose, California in an Orchard Supply Hardware store, and the store has a two machines as sales associates. These two robot sales associates are 5 feet tall and have language processors, computers, product scanners, and navigation tools (Francis). Not only does this eliminate the sales associate job, but the robot also does inventory by night. Online shopping has already cut retail jobs in half but now Amazon will continue to rape the retail work force with is online store. Amazon has 3,000 “Kiva” robots to replace warehouse workers. Software advances has been seriously begun to hurt the work force long before robot sales associates. “In 1956, only 1 in 20 males between 25 and 54 years of age was out of work. Today it’s one in six. The internet already wiped out millions of middle- class jobs” (Francis). It is clear that middle class job are no longer going to exist, and it is clear what will cause this to happen. Human workers need to put a stop to this injustice, and claim the jobs that are owed.
It is disturbing how modern software is spoiling the labor market. Google has a driverless car that will ultimately effect transportation jobs. Transportation is one of the biggest employment sectors and now in serious danger. “Transportation jobs are the 4th largest occupation and 7% of the workforce” (Webster). At this rate that technology is going at least 80% all human driver based jobs will be replaces by smart automated software. Not only are low skilled jobs being taken over by software but hospitals are starting to use robots. These smart programed software bots deliver lab specimens, food, hazardous waste, and other things that have always been done my nurses and lab technicians. Almost any job can effortlessly be turned in to a computer software code and that’s exactly that’s happening. Software on phones and now watches that allow mobile payment make cashiers out-of-date. Customer service jobs are almost obsolete. Customer service 800 number are either all automated or have been out sourced to overseas where labor is cheap. Most factory jobs have already been stolen by computers, but now there is technology that will completely cut out humans. These jobs are being cut because human labor is expensive. Software robots that can easily do the low skill work that humans do will cost a onetime fee of $30,000, which is the same price of a human working for one year. These software advances are rapidly killing human jobs and shows no sign of slowing. Allowing this force for takeover by software is not only going to kill our economy but put humans out of touch with each other. Humans need to wake up and realize is happening and stop it. They must take back their jobs or be aware to the problem so they can make sure there job is secure.
Vehement technological job takeover is anything but new. American has experienced two technological revolutions: agriculture and industrial revolution. And each time many millions of jobs were lost. The jobs that were lost were routine and repetitive jobs in agriculture and factories and when those jobs were stripped by technology