NO MATTER who says what, it is an undeniable fact that the work-force of the world’s high-technology sectors has become terribly anxious about possible job loss as Artificial Intelligence is proving to be an ever-expanding area causing shockingly high numbers of job cuts all over the world. Even as Amazon cut as many as 16,000 jobs in its various facilities the world over, the world’s high-tech sectors got caught in fears that there could be more job cuts across sectors and machines would replace the humans in employment. At least for now, the world does not appear to have found a solution to this challenge. These fears and anxieties have not surfaced for the first time. For the last few years, these fears have been building up the world over -- particularly with the advent of AI as the emerging, ready-for-use technology as an alternative to human inputs.

 

Though the rise of new technologies is welcome, its handlers as a tool for economic growth often tend to treat the advantage as an opportunity of replacement of human component in industrial and corporate activity. The World Economic Forum at Davos in Switzerland had taken time to discuss this issue in fair detail and expressed concern about massive job loss all over the world because of excessive automation. Unfortunately, the WEF only discussed the issue and described its dangers and horrors in an academic manner, but stopped short of actually suggesting an effective remedy. In other words, through the WEF, the world leadership only offered lip service to the issue of massive job loss due to automation -- so as to create an impression that it was duly concerned. Beyond that lip service, nothing happened -- in the same manner as it happens in the area of green technology, only lip service, and no action. In the past 6-7 years, as Artificial Intelligence became a practical and easily available tool of technological advance, its handlers started romancing with the idea of cutting jobs in massive and stunning proportions so that a lot of money could be saved.

 

This is nothing but a massive official deception under the guise of taking advantage of emerging technologies. Development of technology is welcome, but not if it is being used to replace the human component. For, the implications of job loss are truly severe. When a person suddenly loses job, the disruption becomes negative in nature and causes massive damage to human spirit. Unfortunately, those who have the money to use technology as a hand-maiden to make more and malevolent money, use it only to browbeat the human component out of contention for no fault of the person or persons. The current wave of fears of job loss due to undue aggression of Artificial Intelligence in the job arena, thus, has an evil lining whose power to damage human welfare cannot be fathomed easily by ordinary mortals. But the ordinary mortals do become victims of the technology’s demonic aggression. It is cruel to say that those who cannot master the new AI technology would get thrown out of the system.

 

The logic may have its appeal to the shallow thinkers, all right, but it hurts the idea and concept of human welfare in the long term almost beyond repair. And this is the actual concern. For, when the human spirit sees no future for its sublime ideals just because of unimaginably massive job loss, then the damage to larger human good becomes a burden that is impossibly difficult to face or handle in the short or long term. Even as the world is gearing up to further the fourth industrial revolution, it is unjust to inflict upon the global human community the avoidable risk and danger of massive job loss at multiple points and levels. New technologies are not unwelcome, but their usage needs to be restrained in view of the larger human goals. If such a restraint is not maintained, then the humanity will get damaged by some members of its own community. Can the world afford such a luxury ?