Will Robots Take Our Jobs?
Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.
How do you feel about robot technology? What changes will it have?
What new jobs do you think there might be in the future?
You may have heard of Google's self-driving cars that are really cool but they could also cause a lot of people to lose their jobs if they catch on quickly. Google chairman Eric Schmidt seems to grasp these implications, but at the New York Times’ DealBook conference on Wednesday, Schmidt said the possible problem of highly automated services causing a lot of unemployment could be stopped by giving young Americans the right kind of education.
The way to combat it is education, which has to be successful for everyone, regardless of race or gender. In the future there will be global competition for all kinds of jobs.
Even so, Schmidt understands and admits that current trends in technology, along with a more globalized economy, could exacerbate the problem of huge wealth disparities where only a small group of people make money while most people have to live in a world where work is increasingly hard to find.
“Given the trends of globalization, automation and demographics, there will definitely be a small number of people who will be very prosperous,” he said, while also saying that he was “acutely aware that economic and personal success depends on having a great number of customers and educated employees.
Or put another way, Schmidt knows that he can’t continue to make money if all of his customers and future employees are a group of uneducated beggars who have lost their jobs to robots.
Guessing meaning from context (the words around that word or phrase).
Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. The answers are below the table.
|
catch on |
A |
1 |
To get, to understand |
|
grasp |
B |
2 |
To fight |
|
implications |
C |
3 |
To become popular |
|
to combat |
D |
4 |
Difference between groups of things or people |
|
exacerbate |
E |
5 |
Exact, very clear to see or understand |
|
disparities |
F |
6 |
To get richer, to increase, to succeed |
|
prosperous |
G |
7 |
To make bigger |
|
acutely |
H |
8 |
Results because of some actions |
A=3, B=1, C=8, D=2, E=7, F=4, G=6, H=5
Some example sentences using the new words to help you to better understand their meaning.
1. Psy’s song Gangnam Style has caught on all around the world.
2. It was hard for me to grasp physics but I tried very hard to understand it.
3. One of the implications of working hard is you can become successful.
4. You should take cough medicine to combat a cold, but not resting or eating well could exacerbate it.
5. There is a big disparity between the quality of life in North and South Korea.
6. The 1980’s was a time of much increased prosperity in Korea.
7. Students are acutely aware that if they miss the final exam they will fail.
Some discussion questions using the new words to help you better understand the word meaning and how to use them correctly. Try to use the words in your answer.
1. Do you think that robots replacing teachers could catch on? Why or why not?
2. Why does Schmidt grasp the idea that robots replacing people would not be good for him?
3. What implications would robot technology have on business?
4. What kind of education would be needed to combat the problem of robots replacing workers?
5. How do you think China can reduce the disparities between the rich and poor that have been exacerbated in the last 20 years?
6. Were their bigger disparities in your country between the rich and poor in the past?
7. In the reading; what people would become very prosperous from the new technology?
8. Do you feel that the Korean government is also acutely aware of the problems that technology can create?
ECK Education
