Robotics & the Future
The robotics industry has the potential to revolutionize the dining industry as we know it, in the context of both cooking meals and serving them. For example, Momentum Machines has developed a "burger robot" which can produce up to 360 burgers in a single hour, complete with grinding the meat, cooking the patty, and stacking the burger for consumption. Another robot called "Robotista" replaces human baristas by preparing customers' coffee orders from a fully automated kiosk rather than a coffee shop. Even waitstaff is starting to be replaced, as in a Singapore restaurant; Infinium Robotics has developed a drone that can take orders and deliver food to waiting customers at their tables. Truly, the dining industry has one foot in the future and is inching closer as the years go by.
I see these new types of robotics as providing potential advancements to the industry, but also as having major drawbacks to society as a whole. In a society where jobs are hard to find and unemployment is high, many unskilled and lower-class workers find jobs in the restaurant industry as servers, fast-food cooks, and more. While the idea of robots that can replace these workers may be exciting, I fear for a future when the service industry is no longer home to millions of jobs for the lower class. The creation of these robots may create jobs for software engineers and programmers, but it does nothing to help those who couldn't afford to go to college or learn programming.
Source: Steel, Chandra. "Will These 12 Robots Make Chefs Obsolete?". PC Mag. 17 Feb 2015. <https://www.pcmag.com/feature/331668/will-these-12-robots-make-chefs-obsolete>.
AI & the Future
Google Cloud Machine Learning is an example of artificial intelligence that is accessible to individuals, be they people or businesses. Machine learning is a type of computer programming wherein the computers become "smarter" through experiences and interactions rather than by being explicitly coded. In the case of Cloud Machine Learning as produced by Google, this can mean increased efficiency when it comes to data analysis in a number of different fields. Google predicts that the utilization of machine learning in this context may lead businesses far in the near future. For example, one function that Google offers is "Explore," which uses natural language processing programming that is better-suited than ever to understand the syntax of any document and produce the information in a more compact format.
This function of Google's Cloud Machine Learning, and others, may allow businesses to become significantly more efficient, boosting productivity and profits. In the future, as this type of AI becomes more well-known and even smarter, I see it becoming significantly integrated into many businesses. In fact, within ten years, I predict that this form of AI, or a more advanced version, may be used in most large corporations in the world.
Source: Poutonnet, Philippe. "9 new ways that Google Cloud Machine Learning can help businesses". Google. 22 Nov 2016. <https://blog.google/topics/google-cloud/9-new-ways-google-cloud-machine-learning-can-help-businesses/>.
3D Printing & the Future
3D printing is often considered in the context of the products that it can make, but researchers are finding uses for it in other fields as well, such as education. Researchers around the world are discovering the uses of 3D printing in educating blind children, and in particular teaching them to read. Originally, 3D printing was used in this context to print in braille, a written language for hte blind community. However, in recent years, the use of 3D printing has become even more innovative. Scientists in Seoul have produced a set of stencils making up the Korean alphabet and given them to blind children to help them learn the alphabet. Previously, the students had been using paper stencils, which were flimsy and not nearly as durable as the plastic ones produced by the 3D printers. The studies performed showed that the students' skills increased after being given the plastic stencils. 3D printing also provides an opportunity for tactile learning for blind children. This means, for example, that if they are learning about animals, they can be given a small replica of a rabbit so that the children can feel it in order to "see" what a rabbit looks like.
I am excited to see 3D printing continue to expand in to the world of primary education. I fully support any technology that helps to level the playing field between abled and disabled children when it comes to learning. I believe that not only will engineers continue to find uses for 3D printing in the world of special education, but that it will also soon find its way into the mainstream educational system, to help even more children learn more efficiently.
Source: Curiosity Staff. "3D Printers Can Help Blind Children Learn To Read". Curiosity. 20 Dec 2016. <https://curiosity.com/topics/3d-printers-can-help-blind-children-learn-to-read-curiosity/>.
Responses
Josh:
The article you referenced about AI legislation is really interesting to me. I think the early legislation about AI developments is a direct result of something that is often at the root of legislation: fear. Legislators don't know much about what AI actually is; instead many of them likely base their ideas off of what they've learned from movies and other media. While I'm sure they don't actually believe that a Terminator situation will happen tomorrow, they have been taught for decades to fear what "sentient robots" may do, and it's now ingrained in their way of thinking. Whether or not AI proves to be a threat to civilization down the road, I think that it's just to early to be scared of any such developments, and that the legislation that they passed may be premature.
Luciana:
The article you summarized about a neural network surpassing human scores on the Stanford Reading Test reminds me of when an AI program was first able to beat a world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in 1996. As engineers, we keep setting metrics for our AI development to beat, and the programs keep meeting them. Twenty years ago, it was chess. Today, it's a reading test. I wonder what the next metric we set will be, and how long until we finally develop AI that can consistently pass the Turing Test?
Carlos:
I really like that you pointed out the importance of global development when it comes to the future potential of 3D printing. I think that is an incredibly important point; so much development focuses on how to get to the next high-tech achievement, and not enough of it looks at how to bring developing regions up to speed. I see the future of any technological revolution as one in which developments allow developing areas to finally see the same technology as anywhere else.
Jordan - The information you posted about regarding 3D printing and the future was extremely interesting. You make a great point about thinking outside of the norm that 3D printing is all about what it can make. As you point out, it is really important to consider what it can do. It is important, I think, to consider this point of view with all of the technologies we have been discussion. It is not just a matter of "what it does," but it is a matter of "what it can do."
ReplyDeleteHi Jordan-yet again another class we share together! I really enjoyed the first part of your post about how robotics have been implemented in the food industry. I feel when people think of robotics and how they are being implemented to accomplish human held jobs people think first of construction or production in manufacturing not how they may be used in a burger joint or the food industry. This is super interesting to think about because it really opens your mind to seeing how literally every task done by a person such as making a burger may one day be replaced by a robot.
ReplyDeleteJordan, I enjoyed reading through your post, it is clear to me that we can learn something new out of every post. From your post I learnt that 3D printing is being used to print in braille. I liked that you did not focused 3D printing only in construction, it was sort of refreshing to read, and you make a good point on that 3D printing is all about what it can make. I believe that the main problem with 3D printing is the initial cost of the machines, but it will certainly be improved in the following years.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that robotics and automation has the potential displace large quantities of people from their current jobs. As I have posted before, A.I. coders are trying to code computers that are capable of developing more A.I. software (AutoML). In the same effect as eliminating jobs from the unskilled and lower-class workers, programmers are trying to program themselves out of a job. From an objective standpoint, a well-coded software and machine would be the more efficient and economical option for many jobs. If we keep leaning into reliance on machines, I do not know what will happen to the workers who are displaced from their job. Who knows... as A.I. for business applications becomes more prevalent (as you discuss with your Google Cloud ML), perhaps everybody will have the business chops at their disposal to thrive as successful entrepreneurs.
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ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see how advancements in AI will make its way into our everyday lives similar to how google already has. I think now more than ever the general population is more willing to try new and revolutionary products to change the way we do things in our day-to-day lives. With more businesses able to produce products that utilize AI more consumers will have access to the technology.
Hi Jordan. I found your point about the robotics very interesting. I agree that we need to consider more about the fact that a lot of people and unemployed while robotics are replacing the jobs they could possibly do. However, example like robotics being used in healthcare industry in Japan proved an opposite point such as there were not enough workers in the healthcare industry in Japan due to its small population. I think for most all technologies it has two sides of it and it was interesting to see your point of view.
ReplyDeleteThe article you refer about 12 robots being develop for the food industry is really interesting. Robots are now being used in China to not only serve food but also cook dishes. I think it’s great to have a robot that can prepare a simple meal for us but on the other hand I believe cooking is an art and robots can never replace a chef.
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