Are we inventing ourselves out of employment/into obsolesence?

Seem like a fairly pertinent and straight forward question. Every day new invention, discovery and general progress in science and technology render certain parts of certain industries obsolete. Research and commercial necessity will continue to drive industrial and technological evolution to the extent that working as a laborer will no longer be a viable employment option.

While replacing laborers with automated/ mechanized process and procedure may be of immediate benefit to a company, what does it leave for the future? What is the point mass producing product if people simply cant afford to purchase the goods/services?

Over the last 50 years, due to evolution in technology and manufacturing process many industries have suffered and/or have disappeared completely. In many cases the companies themselves are at fault for not predicting future tends(or choosing not to believe the data and maintaining blind optimism) whilst in other circumstances the conditions were difficult to predict or see. Who would have thought that a small, unimposing device that almost every person carries with them at all times in developed societies now, often the size of ones hand would do so much damage to the wrist watch and camera industries (mobile phones).

The camera film industry is on the verge of obsolescence due to developments in digital imaging technology, The Movie cinema industry is struggling due to advancements and massive price reductions in digital television and home theater products. I'm sure you can think of many other industries that either no longer exist or have been replaced.

Many companies around the world today are looking at ways to automate their process and reduce their labour costs. Who can blame them? The problem with this approach as stated above is that the more automated our society becomes, the less likely it is human beings will be required for manual labour.

Following this current trend, I predict capitalism will eventually reach a pinnacle and eventually fail. Society will have to return to a form of socialism as no one will be able to secure income from work(except a select few). Technology will become cheaper and cheaper, more and more factories will become totally autonomous and populated with machines and robots and software development will progress to the point where programs can repair themselves in the event of an error.

There is already promising research being conducted in areas such as:

• Electronic circuits that repair themselves - This will render electronics technicians irrelevant,
• Robots in factories than can repair(or re-purpose) other robots when they fault - robotics engineers and factory workers will suffer from this,
• Autonomous vehicles and public transport - Bus drives, taxi drivers, train drivers will all be affected by this technology,
• Software that can repair/rewrite itself or follow totally automated process - adversely affecting software engineers, IT consultants, business analysts, business intelligence specialists, office workers,
• Car panels/paint that can repair itself when damaged - this impacts the automotive industry,
• Automated machinery in heavy industry such as mining and construction - the impact here is obvious.

I could go on here but I believe you can draw/come to your own conclusions.

So what is the solution? Well I don't actually believe there is one as it is the natural evolution of industry and technology and we will just have to weather it and see what it brings.

Ross McEwen-Page