For thousands of years, human labor has proved to be vital for the world economy and its structure. Labor, which is defined as, “The aggregate of all human physical and mental effort used in creation of goods and services”[1], is comprised of all individuals who are willing and able to work as a means to an end. Ever since men and women began to work, different disciplines and professions have been created in order to be able to separate one type of labor from another, and thus, people are educated in ways that are specific to their job pursuits. Additionally, in most societies the laborer and consumer often have been in contact with one another. Some professions, such as the food and beverage industry, rely more heavily on human interaction than other professions, but have shown signs recently of increased automation. In addition, labor is most often compensated for with income, and in our society today income is necessary for survival. Wage income varies from person to person, but most commonly from profession to profession. The supply and demand of human labor has always been a popular measure of how well an economy is doing, and has also been an important topic of conversation in the United States as well as around the world. Lately however, technological advancements have reduced the demand for human labor because the supply of capable machines is growing rapidly. In this paper I will argue the value of labor and why we cannot allow for technology to surpass all human ability. Technology, in particular automation, poses numerous consequences for society and threatens jobs and knowledge worldwide. Through the implementation of new machinery and robots, efficiency comes into question, jobs are eliminated, professions are at risk for becoming obsolete, human interaction is diminishing, and the potential to widen the gap between the rich and the poor is expanding. Overall, everything can use improvement, but at what point are we to limit this kind of progress before too much damage is done?

Technology evolves as humans do and with each passing day people find new ways to improve technology. What exactly is technology used for? Essentially, technology allows those who use it to benefit by cutting corners, therefore deepening the opportunity to be efficient. Efficiency is defined as a ratio that measures the amount of useful work to the amount of energy utilized to complete said work.[2] As the efficiency of technology increases, there is less demand for the energy/work humans are applying to the aforementioned efficiency equation. That said, it seems the skills of humans are becoming obsolete as technology is taking their place. As said by Erica Etelston of Truthout; “The problem with technology is that most innovations have unintended consequences, and those unintended consequences are piling up, causing harm and creating dangers of existential magnitude.”[3] While efficiency is the goal, the unintended consequences surface when we see people and their skills now having no worth to the efficiency and progress of our world.

Though there are severe consequences to the efficiency and power of technology, many would say that as of now, the good weighs out the bad. Many would continue to argue that there are certainly benefits to technology and its rapidly advancing nature. This is where the counterargument in regard to efficiency comes into play. People are saving money and progressing because of the efficiency technology produces. There is more problem solving, medicine is advancing, and people are being introduced to safer and more consistent means. On the contraire, as technology grows, the need for human skills is vastly reduced. While, yes, one can argue that there are thousands of humans whose purpose is to produce that technology, there are also other individuals working jobs that any day now could be ripped away by technology. To summarize, although it is evident that technology adds jobs simply by requiring individuals to create machines and robots, those jobs cannot make up for the number of jobs that are about to be stripped away by technology. We are allowing technology to expand but if we continue to do so we are going to see another industrial revolution that we cannot handle yet, too much is at risk.

A major argument against this vast expansion of technology is the potential that so many are going to lose their jobs. The more we use technology to replace jobs that individuals have held for centuries, the more probable it will be that technology will surpass us. That being said, technology is growing so inconspicuously that we have not even begun to realize its consequences. Some professions, such as travel agents, have been wiped out almost completely with technological advances. With the growing online travel industry, travel agents and their skills have become essentially obsolete. The average person only sees the benefits that online travel sites provide, and completely ignores the fact that thousands of people have lost their jobs over the creation of these sites. Official reports state that “The instability in the airline industry, and the changes certain to continue in technology, require that travel agencies modify their business plans to prepare for the inevitability of change”[4] That said, all industries should be preparing but too many are simply turning a blind eye to the upheaval. Many people actually chose to ignore/ did not understand that “By June 2002, there were 31 percent fewer agencies and 21 percent fewer agency locations than there had been in 1994,” [5] Soon it could be happening to them. Major pieces of the work force are at risk. Years in the future, as society progresses, people will not realize that these positions existed and the skills of these professionals will go completely unrecognized.

Some may argue that the jobs we are losing are simply low-wage, low-skill, low-end jobs. These individuals may continue to say that in the long run technology is going to push humans to a higher standard so that they can find work that requires more skill. They say that it is better off that jobs that can be done by machinery inspire humans to work towards other, higher-end jobs.

If all jobs that are routine have the ability to be overrun by technology, can there even be enough jobs left for everyone? Quite frankly we are in a crisis and people seem unaware of its magnitude.

The “automation bomb” could destroy 45 percent of the work activities currently performed in the United States, representing about $2 trillion in annual wages, according to a study last year by the consulting firm McKinsey & Co. We’ve seen only the beginning of this change, they warned. Currently, only 5 percent of occupations can be entirely automated, but 60 percent of occupations could soon see machines doing 30 percent or more of the work.[6]

Essentially we, as humans, are becoming less and less useful. The magnitude of this job loss is growing exponentially with each further development in the tech world. In 2016, it proved that we are concerned about jobs. This was proved through the election and how vital the argument of creating jobs became. We are so worried about the jobs overseas that we are missing the fundamental understanding that if we continue forward with the greed for money and efficiency, technology is going to take the jobs anyways. The Washington Post addressed this dilemma when they referred to economists to explain the process. “Job insecurity is a central theme of the 2016 campaign, fueling popular anger about trade deals and immigration. But economists warn that much bigger job losses are ahead in the United States — driven not by foreign competition but by advancing technology.”[7] This goes to show that we, America as a whole, are worried about the state of our economy and job market, but we are not making ourselves aware to all of the potential threats to them.

An example of how technology is taking over is often found within the food industry. As a waitress, vital pieces of my income are the tips I receive from customers, the individuals who I interact with every single shift. I go to school to study hospitality management and am taught all about human interaction and guest satisfaction. From experience, I can confidently say the better connection a waiter or waitress can make with a customer, the bigger the tip one will receive. As we have moved forward with technology, we are beginning to see more automated processes in the food industry. Take for example the kiosks that are found at many franchises such as UNOs, Applebees, Chili’s, and Olive Garden. These kiosks are taking away the importance of human interaction, not only between customer and laborer but between members of the table as well. Therefore, I must ask myself, is my college education becoming obsolete? Are the skills I am learning simply going to be done better by a robot? A waiter or waitress no longer has to time his or her arrivals at the table because a light in the kiosk is turned on when they are needed. To add to that, waitresses are no longer required to take food or drink orders because the robot that is placed at the table can do it for them. This is yet another example of how obsolete some professions are becoming. Simple tasks that are specific to certain occupations are in a way being erased from previous definitions. In 2015 the number of legally recognized jobs defined as “Waiters” and “Waitresses”, people whom “take orders and serve food and beverages to patrons at tables in dining establishment,”[8] was 2,505,630[9]. This number is relevant because these kiosks are improving each year, gaining more capability with each update. That said, there is an expectation that one-day humans, besides being customers in the establishments, will be unnecessary altogether. Even restaurants are adapting to the current trends. As aforementioned, most restaurants already have put in place machines to increase efficiency, but some have already switched over to a fully automated service. If all food service is moving in that direction, 2,505,630 jobs are at risk of being eliminated. All this being true, no person in the food industry can say that technology is useless. In the food industry, technology is our communication to the back of the house, our ability to take credit cards, and our easiest way to keep consistency in the food we are serving. In a program we call Micros I type in the food my guests want, and with each selection I am prompted to fill in exactly the guests’ needs. For instance, if a guest orders a turkey club I am prompted of the side they want, the type of bread they want, and if there are any special requests. Without Micros the process of communicating to the kitchen and serving would be much more difficult. So where do we draw the line? If we let technology takeover all together, I lose my job. If we do not have technology at all, my job is exponentially harder.

Some say that robots have no place in the hospitality world. They say that Hospitality is a problem solving industry and that robots do not have the capability to problem solve and satisfy guests like humans do. Truthfully, while this is a common belief, with innovation and advances in technology, the tech world is proving expectations to be incorrect every day. Jill Wong goes as far to state that,

Technological innovation in recent years has made computers, robots and software so sophisticated that machines are now entering the realm once thought to belong exclusively to humans: cognition. Computers today can recognize patterns and generate insights being used for fraud detection, medical diagnostics, legal research, and auditing, among others.” That said no job is safe. Computers have abilities that stretch as far as to make people essentially irrelevant. [10]

Automation is effective until it goes as far to make humans ineffective. Humans have built this society from the ground up and that is what makes this species so wonderful. Collective learning is an ability that sets humans apart.[11] We cannot give up all we have worked for to allow ourselves to be overrun by technology. We can use technology until we are giving technology the power to takeover. This is yet another instance where we simply have to draw a line. Important to note is that we have not yet developed a robot that can feel true compassion towards or about any one thing or any one individual. Human connection is vital and while technology is wonderful, there is truly no replacing face-to-face interaction. The sooner humans have that understanding the sooner technologies takeover will slow.

Major questions that we need to ask ourselves are often overlooked when it comes to the topic of technology. Are we becoming so accustomed to fixing problems with technology that eventually humans will be entirely useless altogether simply living in a world run by technology? We use technology to make things easier for ourselves, or in other words, eliminate the number of steps it takes to solve a problem or complete a task. Ultimately, we are giving into our own laziness when producing technology that makes this behavior acceptable. If we keep finding things to make our lives easier, eventually technology will do so much that we will have nothing to do. Every problem that arises will have a solution deeply rooted within technology that requires little to no input from individuals themselves, those individuals who for centuries have been able to work through a problem that they encounter will have useless problem solving skills completely outdone by the capabilities of technology. We work with a pattern of developing technology to advance ourselves and eventually technology will surpass us. Technology provides solutions to questions we have not even come up with yet; a strong example of this is in the field of medicine. Technology provides us with solutions that benefit humans and even defy the fate nature has inflicted upon those among us. Some say that this generation is the generation that will never die.

While we are asking ourselves about our tendencies to rely on technology we also must ask if this is what we really want. Are people so run by greed that they will cut costs now without thought of what an overrun of technology could do to the future? If people continue to make moves for the future without hesitation to potential outcomes then we are no longer putting humans first and technology already has the theoretical upper hand. There is a moral obligation and responsibility to bettering the world for future generations. Every action has a reaction, creating a ripple effect. If humans are able to recognize the consequences of severely advanced technology the consequences can be stopped before harming future generations.

Some may say that this is something we have been through before. They argue that this is simply going to be another industrial revolution and that, as always, the human race will figure it out.Textile mills had a similar problem that resulted in a more successful future for us because we found more useful and safer work. The workers in the mills were replaced so they found work elsewhere. The same goes for the cashiers that have been replaced by self-checkout systems. 45% of the currently employed are at risk of losing their jobs altogether. Again, here we ask ourselves do we have an obligation to hire humans over creating robots? Unless it is found morally permissible to completely increase the gap between the rich and the poor then yes, we have an obligation to humans. If humans do not see the effect they have on other humans, generations to come are going to suffer with a vastly hard work force to enter. This is an argument of whether or not we are truly able to understand the ripple effect until after the splash. Money is being saved by the rich. Machinery and advancements in technology allow them to get more work done at a smaller dollar amount. CEOs can make more money and they can pay their workers less. There will be less of an overturn in workers, less spent on training, and less wages to pay. This technology to come is going to be an investment to further expand the money these high-end professions make and people are going to be left in the dust at a huge deficit. The people at the low income, easily replaceable jobs are losing precious dollars needed to support their livelihood, and it is all because of technology. This problem is only going to get worse. While we can look at this from many points of view at the end of the day if people use a lens that holds even a bit of empathy, they will be able to see the consequences to both humans now and humans down the road.

Technology is not something that we must get rid of in its entirety because that would be impossible. Technology does help us, but we cannot let it go as far as to hurt us. As a society, we need to see the potential consequences that technology has the ability to inflict. We must prepare ourselves and let technology grow at a pace that can be handled by new job production, improvement of basic education to better meet the skills needed in this development, and an understanding that the gap between rich and poor should not expand as it will divide our society. This industrial revolution is inevitable but we must slow it down so that we will not face its disastrous consequences so heavily and rapidly in the future. As mentioned above, there are numerous benefits to technological advancements, but its affect and magnitude on the labor market will cost us many jobs, and put professions at risk of becoming obsolete. We are not prepared to take on these consequences and until we are the revolution must be put on hold. If technology surpasses us, chaos will erupt, we have the ability to slow technology down and we must enforce that ability.

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