密歇根新闻广播 机器人会替代人类吗

Automation and robotics are playing an ever-increasing role in the workplace, particularly in manufacturing.

According to the Robotics Industry Association, in the United States, capital investment in robots increased by 13.1% from 2015 to 2016, to $1.81 billion. Many of those investments have been made in Michigan factories.

"The biggest user is the automotive industry," said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, an industry trade group. "G.M., Ford¹, Chrysler, are all investing heavily in robotics. So likely that makes [southeast] Michigan one of the leading places to find robotics."

So what does this mean for Michigan's manufacturing workforce²? Could the auto-industry jobs that are so crucial to the state's economy soon go the way of the blacksmith?

For Burnstein, the answer is a firm "no." In fact, he argues that investment in robots can lead to greater employment by making manufacturing firms more competitive.

"We took a 20 year look at this, from 1996 to 2015, and the results were counterintuitive," he said. "In every period where robot sales were rising, unemployment was falling. And in every period where robot sales were falling, unemployment was rising. Now why is that? We believe it's because the real threat to jobs is the inability to compete."

On the other hand, numerous academic studies have concluded that automation presents a real threat to employment.

A 2016 study found that 9% of jobs could be replaced by automation – they are "automatable," in academic parlance³. A 2013 study by researchers at the University of Oxford⁴ found that nearly half of all U.S. jobs are "at risk."

Burnstein takes issue with reports like these. In particular, he thinks they fail to account for the capacity of new technologies like robots to create new types of work.

"Twenty years ago would you have known that there would be a job called social media director or search engine optimization⁵ specialist?" Burnstein mused⁶. "No, of course not. But they exist today, and there are a lot of people doing them. We think the same thing is going to happen in robotics and automation."

Listen to our full interview with Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation, above.

1 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

2 workforce   

n.劳动大军，劳动力

参考例句：

• A large part of the workforce is employed in agriculture.劳动人口中一大部分受雇于农业。
• A quarter of the local workforce is unemployed.本地劳动力中有四分之一失业。

3 parlance   

n.说法；语调

参考例句：

• The term "meta directory" came into industry parlance two years ago.两年前，商业界开始用“元目录”这个术语。
• The phrase is common diplomatic parlance for spying.这种说法是指代间谍行为的常用外交辞令。

4 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

5 optimization   

n.最佳化，最优化；优选法；优化组合

参考例句：

• Development of detergents has required optimization of the surfactants structure. 发展洗涤剂时，要求使用最恰当的表面活性剂结构。 来自辞典例句
• In the case of productivity tools and other non-entertainment-oriented products, this optimization means minimizing work. 对于生产工具和其他非娱乐导向的产品而言，这意味着将工作负荷降至最低。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史