“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To
change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
The technology revolution sweeping across the globe at a great
speed is also termed as a 4th Industrial Revolution or Industry
4.0 (Short form I4.0). This is indeed transforming manufacturing and production
processes, empowering better and faster decision making and global reach on
24/7 basis for marketing and sales. Countries like South Korea, Singapore,
Germany, Japan, and the USA have taken a great leap forward and introduced
state-of-the-art technology. India, though 6th largest
manufacturing country, it lags behind in introducing Robotics and AI in its
industries. However, during 2017-2018, India had taken a big leap
forward to maximize use of technology in manufacturing and ensure that the manufacturing sector contributes 25% of Indian GDP by
2022. Some people term technology as job snatcher, while
others view it as a facility to bring the world closer together and network to
share knowledge, experience and solve emerging challenges. Our lifestyle, work environment, travel, marketing,
sales, communication, exchange of information, healthcare, automation of
processes, delivery system and relationships continue to be impacted by
ever-changing technology. Fast Internet access at an affordable cost continues to
influence our lifestyle, business practices and work environment. The Internet
has removed time zones and geographical boundaries and the whole world is just
one global village where we can work/interact on a 24/7 basis. In many cases,
there may not be the physical presence of another person but electronically we feel
close enough and interact with full confidence and mutual trust. The technology revolution is unstoppable, and we must enable ourselves to take advantage of
this wave and do our jobs more smartly and efficiently.
Technologies like Laser, Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Robotics, Drones, Internet of Things
(IoT), Cloud Computing, Virtual Reality (VR), 3-D Printing and Blockchain will
take away some routine jobs but also create new jobs, though requiring new
skills. The automation and computerization will save time, cost and human effort and increase our productivity and quality as it works without any
fatigue and provides very high precision, accuracy, and consistency. The
applications and advantages of various technologies are too vast a subject to
cover in one article. Hence the impact of technology as related to the enhancement
of productivity, accuracy, consistency and support to human ingenuity have been
covered in this book.
Emerging Technologies Impacting
jobs.
Automation of offices works. Automation of office works related to housekeeping of
records, text typing, data entry, accounting, ticketing and reservation for
travel/hotels/ resorts, banking, insurance and healthcare have been already in
vogue, in most of the countries. With digitization coming to the forefront, digital
advertising, digital marketing, on-line billing and delivery systems have taken
a big leap forward resulting in saving in time effort and cost. Therefore, employees
in various fields must develop alternate skills and become more technology
savvy to stay in demand.
Automation of industries. Automation of various industries related to
manufacturing of goods, vehicles,
railways engines (Diesel, Electric,) , aircrafts, ships/boats, tools/instruments
, material handling equipments and earth moving machineries continue to move
ahead at a great pace. Similarly, process control industries
like oil refinery, cement, fertilizer, power generation and power
grid management, milk plants, drinks industry, food processing, and many others
are fast adopting newer technologies to stay ahead in this highly competitive
and uncertain global market. Technology helps to improve productivity, quality,
efficiency and global competency. Consequently, it creates
new jobs and processes but those need new skills and quick adoption of new
technologies.
Artificial
Intelligence (AI) . AI software is based on a well-designed
Algorithm by a team of experts from multi-disciplinary areas like data
scientists expert in developing new algorithms, business mangers with good
domain knowledge, technologists of related electronics , communication and control
systems , embedded software, Operation Research and statistics expert , psychologists, health expert.
AI is not a new phenomenon since LISP as programming language for mundane
jobs has been there since 1970’s. However, people were solving simple problems
related to health care, speech recognition, image processing. During 1990’s,
ALGOL, PROLOG like languages have been used in technologically advanced
countries like USA, UK , France , Germany, Sweden, Israel, Canada, Japan ,
Russia, china, in areas related to computer science, mathematics, neuron
science, psychology, biology, philosophy, sociology. China plans to catch up with the west
in AI utilisation by 2020 and lead the world in AI by 2030. AI is now being used
extensively in many applications like:
§ Knowledge-Based
Systems (KBS). These are being used in many Defence and some
Business applications. There is great job potential for KBS.
§ Fuzzy
Logic. It is finding vast applications for household
appliances and business applications. Number of house hold appliance use fuzzy
logic and PLC like devices .
§ Experts
Systems. These are being used in
agriculture, road transportation and weather prediction.
§ Speech
recognition. Auto response to queries for travel and hotel
reservations. This technique has been
further extended for voice to text
typing.
§ Robots. The
heart of Robot is AI and embedded logic.
§ Machine
Learning (ML). AI forms a major part of ML Systems
which are being used for diagnostics and interpretation of laboratory tests. ML
is playing major role in industrial automation.
§ Navigation and
control system for space missions.
§ Global Positioning/
Tracking System ( GPS)
· Embedded Technologies. Software embedded in
microprocessors/microcontrollers, PLCs form the heart of Robots, Drones, and GPS navigation systems. It uses lots of built-in
controllers, which are programmable with autonomous built-in control and/or an external remote control system. Embedded software and optical
devices are facilitating many activities in areas of healthcare, diagnostics,
physiotherapy and surgery.
·
Machine Learning (ML). ML is the
most exciting field where many experts of multi-disciplines, collectively
evolve complex and very exhaustive algorithms to carry out exhaustive numerical
processing and analysis for recursive decision making. ML is not
straight software programming but very iterative method of training a machine
to respond to various situations. It is like teaching a small child to store
various options in his/her brain and when required, respond very judiciously.
Similar concept is being followed by leading manufacturers of cars for faults
diagnostic and analysis. A traditional automation has an input to a computer
resident program which processes input and gives output for further analysis.
In case of ML, there is input and expected output both acting as input to the
computer where software algorithm ( If this --- , and that or that--- then do -- this else
do that – so many times using input from ---- ) is resident
to process inputs and generate a program which does the final task. ML
is very laborious task to cater for all types of situations and make the
computer action autonomously and which is fully reliable.
·
Internet
of Things (IoT). IoT
is a step forward from man-machine interaction to machine-machine interaction.
With advances in embedded technologies, AI and ML, the
communication/interaction among digital devices and processors has increased by
many folds. It is reducing human intervention and increasing efficiency
and consistency in performing certain jobs, which were so far being done by the
people.
· 3-D Printing. 3-D Printing
is commonly used for rapid prototyping various 3D solid products. The product
or a part could be of plastic, metal or any other material which can be in
molten state to flow through the nozzle and deposit the material layer by layer
on to the designated platform. The logic and process is embedded in the software
file which is generated from engineering CAD drawing. China and Russia
have further progressed 3-D printing technology where instead of molten plastic
dropping through nozzles to spread layer by layer, it lets concrete mixture like
material to flow and deposit layer by layer, as per 3D building structure design
provided by the architect. Two sets of two-bedroom houses have been constructed
by Russians using 3-D printing technology in just four days. China has done
even better. France has also made a beginning in using 3-D
printing technology and made three room houses in 18 days. A Dubai based Construction
Company, Cazza is planning to extend 3-D Printing technology to Crane Printing
and build world’s first 3D-printed
skyscraper in UAE. It will use steel and concrete. The company also plans to
build the world’s first rotating skyscraper, in Dubai by 2020. It will stand at
1,375 feet tall, with each of its 80 storeys capable of rotating individually
around a concrete core.
Digital Manufacturing . Most of the mechanical and piping industries have been
using CAD / CAM since 1970’s. However, new generation of software like CATIA,
Solid Works 3-D, E- Design, Rivet (Open source) and Design Spark have
revolutionized drafting and designing of various types of structures. Likewise,
CNC machines having programmable capability are handy for precision machining
work. Digital manufacturing is the use of an integrated, computer-based system
comprising of Simulation, 3D visualization, Analytics and collaboration tools
to create manufacturing process definitions for the required product. Many of the long-term benefits from
Siemens’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) cannot be achieved without a
comprehensive digital manufacturing strategy. Digital manufacturing is the key
for integration between PLM, shop floor applications and machines /equipment. Digital Manufacturing has considerably reduced design effort and
production time. It also provides efficient documentation for
version control and easy traceability of defects.
·
Digital Marketing and Advertising. With the ease of
accessibility and affordability of internet services and Digital networks like
Google+, Facebook , LinkedIn, YouTube, WhatsApp and Twitter have given a
quantum jump to digital marketing. In this, you can ask computers/ Smart-phone
like devices for writing a compelling email, subject lines for large retail
organizations and improve customer relations. Many companies are also
experimenting with automated advertisement buying, instead of having people to
choose which magazine to place their advertisement and on which pages. Digital
marketing has extended the range from domestic to global market. Marketing and
advertising agents have many software tools for faster and extended reach.
Robots. Martin
Ford, a software entrepreneur and the bestselling author of “Rise of the Robots” has pointed out that most jobs
can be broken down into a series of routine tasks and many of those can be
easily and more efficiently done by the machine. Robot is an electro-mechanical device with built-in logic
and controllers to perform certain routine jobs or jobs which are hazardous for
human beings. Robots are already in use for the following:
§ Healthcare services, housekeeping in hospitals, hotels, restaurants.
§ Manufacturing plants, assembly-line and quality testing in production
§ Process control industries related to Oil refineries, Fertilizer and
Cement
§ Drinks and food processing plants
§ Toys and Entertainment industry
§ Movies
Robots duly integrated with optics and laser are doing great job in
surgical procedures. They are programmable and have consistent performance,
since they do not get tired. With embedded logic and AI, human like Robots are
becoming popular even to give company to lonely people in Japan. Robot will
soon be deployed as soldiers in the combat zone.
·
Report and Speech writing. Some
forms of journalism, such as writing market reports, sports summaries, speech
for politicians and CEOs are also being automated.
·
Lawyers
and Para-legal staff. During
initial phase of any lawsuit, lawyers and Para-legal staff have to sift through
thousands of documents, depending on the complexity of the case. Now with help
of appropriate technology like Big Data including syntactic analysis will
speed up sifting through large documents. The introduction of software
like “Discovery” capable of analyzing large volumes of legal documents have
been expected to reduce the number of legal clerks and paralegals, who act as
human search engines. It is likely that with ML system legally
trained to review past documents, precedents and case history can draft a legal
brief for the senior advocate who is handling the case. A statistical model
using ML could predict the outcomes of major legal cases.
·
Transportation and Self-driven cars. Driverless
(Self Driven) cars have embedded navigation logic module
implanted inside with many sensors to monitor road conditions, movement of
other vehicles in its lane and neighboring cars lanes. It also tracks shortest
and safest route and responding to traffic congestion or any other obstruction
so that occupants of the car reach safely and on time to their desired
destination. Driverless or self-driven car developed by Google was successfully
launched in 2017. This is going to affect big shift in car design and
manufacturing plans. Likewise, transportation and delivery of goods have been
revolutionized by Amazon, Flip Kart, Snap deal and many others.
·
Material
handling jobs. Robots and AI
loaded machines will efficiently and timely handle all material and stock those in appropriate locations.
These equipments will move the required
material in/out of warehouse as per
pre-scheduled time or as per latest command from central control room.
·
Power Grid management. Powerhouse
management will deploy SCADA-like software and engage fewer technical
operators, as against many shift engineers. The number of power substations may be
remotely controlled.
Drones. These
are the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) used for surveillance and
transportation of logistics in difficult terrains. They are slowly
replacing pilots while dealing with hideouts of the terrorist organizations
like those in Afghanistan.
Digital Photography. Analog cameras and analog video cameras using films have been replaced with digital
cameras having embedded digital devices/memories
inside, giving better colour visualization and composition of
the scene/ object . Smart phone can scan / take pictures
and make video clips to transmit those immediately over the internet to their
destinations. Google has announced to introduce AI for Google photos and Gmail
text typing during August 2018.
Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services like servers,
storage, databases, networking, application software, and analytics over the
Internet. Companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft , IBM , Yahoo offering these
computing services are called cloud providers and typically charge for cloud
computing services based on usage. This has brought big revolution in IT
industry and business management. Cloud Computing offers computing power like
water supply or electricity where the user pays only for the resources used and
for the duration of use. The user need not own expensive hardware and software
to match the market requirements. It has also impacted the data centers
and data warehouses, since the customer can now use both hardware and
software resources on a need basis, with the full elasticity of expanding and
contracting computing configuration at will. The old concept of
in-house software development has paved the way for software application
integration. Both big and small industries are rapidly adapting cloud computing
environment.
Cloud Computing services. Most cloud computing services fall
into three broad categories: Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS),
Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service(SaaS). These are
sometimes called the cloud computing stack because they build on top of
one another. Knowing what they are and how they are different makes
it easier to accomplish your business goals.
Cloud Computing Models. In general, there are three models:-
Public Clouds. Amazon
Web Services ( AWS), Google, Rack- space, IBM’s Blue
seal, Microsoft’s Azure.
Private Clouds. This belongs to one or few more
enterprises that have full control on data location and its security.
Hybrid Clouds. This is a judicious mix of public and
private cloud.
Benefits
of Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is a big shift from the traditional way
businesses thinking about IT resources. Major advantages of cloud computing
are:
Cost reduction .
Cloud computing eliminates the capital expense of buying hardware and software
and setting up and running on-site datacenters.
Speed in
configuring. Most cloud computing services are provided self service
and on demand. A large vast amount of computing resources can be provisioned in
minutes, typically with just a few mouse clicks, giving businesses a lot of
flexibility.
Global
Scale (Elastically). The benefits of cloud computing services include the
ability to easily scale up or down. It means delivering the right amount of IT
resources, computing power, storage and bandwidth when it’s needed and from the
any geographic location.
Productivity
of IT Team. Most data centers typically require a lot of
“racking and stacking” hardware set up, software patching and other
time-consuming IT management chores. Cloud computing removes the need for many
of these tasks, so that IT team of the customer can spend time on achieving
more important business goals.
Performance. The
biggest cloud computing services are run
on a worldwide network of secure data centers, which are regularly
upgraded to the latest generation of fast and efficient computing hardware.
This offers several benefits over a single corporate data center,
including reduced network latency for applications and greater economies of
scale.
Reliability.
Cloud computing makes automatically make provision for timely data backup and
disaster recovery. This makes business continuity easier and less expensive, because
data can be mirrored at multiple redundant sites on the cloud provider’s
network.
·
Survey of Job creation due to AI and
IT. The techno experts and owners of high-tech facilities emphasize
that technology will save in time, effort, cost and improve
consistency, productivity and quality of products/services. It’s about enabling
existing manpower to adopt new technologies rather than replacing them. A few technical companies have confirmed that with the introduction of AI, their
productivity and efficiency have gone up. For instance, Accenture has managed to automate 17,000 jobs till
2016 without any cut in existing staff, and by 2017, they have automated
25,000 jobs. Likewise, another market research company, Forrester, has
highlighted that by 2025, 16% of US jobs will be replaced, while the equivalent
of 9% jobs will be created. Therefore, net job loss will be only 7%. . Some
common area for new job creation are:
o
Radiology. Dr. Barani, of San
Francisco, states that Enclitic technology empowers even average practitioners
to be experts. Therefore instead of making some of them lose their
jobs, the technology helps them in filling the shortage of specialists.
o
Self-driven vehicles. Self-driven vehicles may
need remote operators to cope with emergencies.
o
Human Touch. Despite the use of advanced AI,
ML and Robotics, some jobs are always likely to be better done by humans, where
empathy is needed. Doctors, therapists, hairdressers and personal trainers fall
into that category. Analysis of the British workforce by experts at Deloitte
has highlighted the significant rise in health care jobs of nursing,
technical assistants and care-workers.
Cumulative
impact of technology on jobs. Technology may
disrupt certain jobs, but it also provides smarter, faster and more productive
jobs. Global competition is forcing many employers to quickly adapt to emerging technologies and restructure their organizations to stay competitive.
In such a scenario, employees need to quickly learn new technologies for
multitasking and remain relevant to this dynamic market and highly productive
for their employers. You need a good
knowledge of emerging technologies, related to your career path plus domain
knowledge. You should be technology savvy to get the best of your
time and effort. Devices like 3-D printers, Smart phone, digital testing tools
and intelligent testing instruments/tools like “Lab View” (also called virtual
Lab. allowing remote logging and processing) and MATLAB have added more
productivity for business to grow in the electronics industry.
AI has been gaining a lot of
momentum since 2005 and some people feel threatened about their jobs being
taken away by AI. This is just an apprehension by those who are a bit lazy to
upgrade their knowledge and add AI to supplement their skills. The idea that
routine manual work can be carried out by the machine is quite old and well
known to all. AI based machines can perform tasks which were earlier done by
knowledge workforce. We all know that computer/logic-controlled machines can do
many forms of routine manual tasks, but now these machines are able to perform
some routine cognitive tasks too.
There is no need to suspect technology a threat to your job and panic. Technology momentum is going to stay and rapidly grow further. It is up to us to harness emerging technologies properly and do our job more efficiently. Technology will be there to support and enhance human endeavour in every field like manufacturing, processing industry, transportation, teaching in universities, health care in hospitals, digital marketing, Supply Chain Management (SCM) or Customer Relation Management ( CRM). This trend will continue since technological development is going at a much faster pace than evolving new rules, regulations, operating procedures and business practices. However, if you are proactive, have the required knowledge, skills and are adaptable to quick learning of emerging technologies, the jobs will always be available to you.
For more details refer to my following
books/ebooks, available on www.notionpress.com, www.amazon.in, and www.flipkart.com
1. "A2Z - 26 Steps for Assured Success", Notion Press, Jun
2017.
2. "Career
Challenges during Global Uncertainty", Notion Press, May 2018,
3. “Ride Technology
Wave for Career Success”, Notion Press. Sep 2022.
4 “Knowledge
Sharing key to Assured Success”, Notion Press, Mar 2024.
5.” Effective Time
Management Key to Work-Life Balance”, Notion Press, May 2025
6. “ Character is Cornerstone
for Career Success and Nation” Notion Press, Dec 2025
Dr.
Sarbjit Singh
(former Executive Director,
Apeejay
College of Engineering, Gurugram, Haryana, India)
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