Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, technology has become more prevalent than ever before. Embedded in technology is artificial intelligence, progressively creeping into our existence. Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a branch of computer science that aims to make machines more “intelligent.”   

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Using complex algorithms and mathematical functions, AI allows machines and systems to develop solutions generated based on previous data patterns and trends. In other words, it trains computers to create a solution to a problem by applying algorithms to data rather than being told precisely what to do.   

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AI comes in different forms, and many of us use it in our daily lives. Siri, Alexa, ChatGPT, and Google Translate are just some widely known examples of AI. Since the last decade, how the innovation of AI will affect society in the future has been the popular subject of many contentious debates.

 

One of the most significant increasing adverse effects of AI is technological unemployment. Wikipedia defines technological unemployment as “...the loss of jobs caused by technological change, where humans’ roles in many processes are minimized.”    The initial group that will be threatened by AI is the service industry. Shawn Baldwin reported on CNBC that in one industry, “Struggling to find workers and eager to relieve staff from boring, repetitive tasks, fast-food restaurant chains are adding robots to their kitchens.”    

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The fast-food chain White Castle has led the nation in turning to AI for its entry-level positions.  Its robot, Flippy, "...initially debuted in 2017 to flip burgers at a California fast food chain… Flippy’s maker has expanded the bot’s capabilities, creating a version that can cook chicken wings, fries, and other greasy delights,” revealed Singularity Hub. White Castle recently announced that it will install the robots at over 100 restaurants in 2023.  

 

According to Sean Captain, When will robots take our jobs? "A 2020 World Economic Forum report predicted that robotics and automation would displace 85 million jobs globally in the coming five years.” This conquering of AI will result in job displacement and will eventually require retraining the existing workforce. These repetitive and unexacting jobs will be replaced with autonomous machines, forcing these workers to upgrade their skills. We shouldn’t be surprised if, in the next few years, robots precipitously replace cashiers or counter attendants at our favorite fast-food chains. These repetitive and unexacting jobs will be replaced with autonomous machines, forcing these workers to upgrade their skills.  

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Overall, tedious, everyday jobs like these are changing the milieu of work environments through robots and machines. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and previous Co-Founder of OpenAI, disclosed, “There certainly will be job disruption. AI can transform the job industry; it will soon be intertwined with our way of life. Because what’s going to happen is robots will be able to do everything better than us.”