Response to "Robotic Nation" by Marshall Brain

In Robotic Nation, Marshall Brain warns Americans about the dangerous of excessive use of new systems and machines. He argues that in the future humanoids robots could completely replace human workforce letting over half of the Americans unemployed. There are some steps for the “Robotic Revolution” take place in America according Marshall; however if we take a look on the technology development on the past fifty years, we are going to realize that this revolution is growing up very fast.

I strongly agree with Marshall Brain on the point he states that new systems could eliminate the need for human employment in many jobs. However I don’t think those systems or robots could completely replace human employees. Even though modern robots seem like humans doing many activities they don’t have the essential: the brain, consequently they can’t think. There is a need of thinking or conscious in some kinds of jobs. For example, psychiatrists evaluate patients by their experiences and feelings, and they talk with them to make conclusions and formulate a right diagnostic about the problem they may have. It is necessary a brain, actually a functional brain to formulate an idea or conception, and for more advanced robots could be in the future I do not believe that scientists can built robots with conscious mind.

I am a kind of modern person who thinks that I may not live without any gadget or electronic device but it only shows my customer side. It is very convenient talk with my family, which live far from me (approximately 5000 miles), any time we want through a video camera or by cellular phone. So, technology is part of our everyday lives turning it easier. Advanced technology will become a problem when, as Marshall Brain says, it starts replacing humans on their activities. Unemployment is a serious consequence of the “Robotic Revolution” which Americans should be aware of. That revolution will eliminate jobs and bring a huge economic crisis in the USA.

Thinking about my employee side I don’t feel comfortable knowing that in the future my job could be taken by a robot. I am a house cleaner and this kind of job could be easy developed by a robot. The solution to me could be try to find other job. According Marshall Brain, the creation of new jobs could be a solution for the high level of unemployment; however it is hard to do that if robots can easy be updated for the new jobs. What people will do without a job? How they will participate in the economy without money which comes from our jobs?

Marshall Brain did a good job showing the economic problem that will appear in consequence of the robotic revolution, giving examples and statistics of how it works, and giving a possible solution to the huge level of unemployment in the USA. His ideas had a big impact on my thinking because I really never thought about the consequences of the technology progress before. I believe, as Marshall Brain, it is time to think about the American economy and also think about available solutions to negative effects of the robotic revolution.