Introduction
The modern world suggests several ways of evaluating and understanding sociological processes. In the context of the current sociological debate on artificial intelligence, the functionalist perspective can be considered the most appropriate and comprehensive. As an example of macro-sociological theory, this perspective can analyze the relations between society’s internal systems as accurately as possible and denote the extent to which the whole and its parts influence each other.
Because of the multifaceted evaluation of the current situation, it is possible to make a particular assumption about the inability of any format of artificial intelligence development. This is followed by the inability to replace humans in a complete format, and further denies theories of countervailing superiority of artificial intelligence. The main research question is: How will the use of robots and artificial intelligence affect future hiring?
Literature Review
Most contemporary researchers prefer not to overestimate the impact of technological advances on the labor market. For example, Dahlin (2019) suggests that the development of automation is uneven, implying a loss for professions with medium qualifications, but not for those with low or highly skilled ones. According to these findings, high-skilled occupations are more difficult to learn and automate than others. Boyd and Holton (2018) agree with this thesis, focusing on the unlikelihood of radical change in the near future, regardless of its utopian or dystopian content. Nevertheless, they do not deny the importance of deliberative discourse in a democratic society as new technologies emerge.
Other authors abstract from predicting the level of human employment in the future. However, Adachi, Kawaguchi, and Saito (2022) recorded that the cost of industrial robots is decreasing due to their increasing spread. Moreover, the popularity of such automation is underscored by the improvement in the productive capacity of organizations.
Dixon et al. (2020) draw attention to the added complexity in managing an organization that strives for technological development by increasing the range of control. This view emphasizes the importance of each employee’s skill development for the sake of job retention, which is mainly in line with current market trends, and without automation. Globalization and digitalization place a high demand on employees, requiring them to have less control over their work.
In turn, some authors draw attention to related factors. For example, a proposal has been made to assess employment levels in terms of the actual relocation of industries to other countries and population growth (Klenert et al., 2022). In addition, the importance of technology development in general, despite its potential detriment to employment, and the importance of participation for each organization are often highlighted (Raj & Seamans, 2019). These works acknowledge the irrelevance of matching artificial intelligence to its name and suggest that research into the issue has deepened, which is also logical and legitimate.
Background and Theoretical Sociological Perspective
In the context of research and situation assessment, it is initially necessary to define the chosen perspective. Functionalism prefers to view society and all its constituent parts as a single mechanism, each part having its purpose and depending on the others. The underlying principle of the theory can be described as the pursuit of equilibrium, where each component of the whole plays its role and is in its optimal position.
The notion of artificial intelligence, in turn, is currently exaggerated. Any human-programmed action or set of actions is commonly referred to as artificial intelligence, although the execution of predetermined commands is not (Klenert et al., 2022). Robotic technology has helped displace and reduce the need for some manufacturing occupations. Still, it lacks the basic human qualities of versatility, ingenuity, and the ability to act outside preset algorithms or orders of action (Dixon et al., 2019). Today, many plants have replaced some operations with automated ones; however, the profitability of such replacements is not always completely obvious or financially relevant.
In addition to the above, the issue of production facilities and their automation is more relevant for countries with developed economies. The current trend towards cheaper and simpler production does not imply complete automation. Instead, it prefers to move to developing countries with a lower average wage level (Dahlin, 2019). There are many reasons for this, and most of them will be evaluated later, except for environmental or political reasons related to capacity relocation, which are not directly relevant to the current topic of discussion.
Discussion and Reflection
The discussion format involves splitting the question into parts to formulate the most precise assessment and projections of future impact on the hiring industry. In this way, it is possible to adequately assess current trends, the speed of their development, and the potential for future replacement of human resources. Despite the connection between so-called artificial intelligence and some manufacturing complexes, the control algorithms of robots are much more distant from their theoretical definitions or predictions of the future. Unfortunately, the world and society are far from works of fiction. Therefore, the loss of human employment due to robots will increase, and the extent of this loss will be greater the farther one goes, mainly because of humans’ unwillingness to develop and improve their knowledge base.
Robots and Machinery
Manufacturing machinery has long occupied a dense place in all areas of production. Since its invention, conveyor belts, for example, have been commonly regarded as robots that take some of the work away from live employees. However, in this case, a legitimate question arises as to whether such hard physical work is worth the harm it does to the human body, and what exactly prevents such an employee from self-development for a better-paying and less dangerous position. According to the experience of most robotic system manufacturers, it is noticeable that the high cost of such devices is not only due to the complexity of their creation, adjustment, and installation. Additionally, there are the operational needs, which to a greater extent require the control of a human professional (Adachi et al., 2022).
It is essential to consider the monotony of operations that such automation is capable of and the complexity of modern factories, which encompass thousands of different operations, to draw a logical conclusion. Complete automation of technical processes, especially those involving simple fine motor operations, will not yield significant benefits in the near future. This fact is obvious, even if one does not consider the excessive energy costs of such an organization or the inability of machines to respond to non-standard situations.
Undoubtedly, more advanced algorithms for all control systems will be predicted in the future. However, the incredible complexity of predicting conditions and circumstances makes it doubtful that robots will completely replace live employees (Adachi et al., 2022). An example is the need for an engineer to constantly monitor the robotic arm, which is one of the most popular production methods. If a part or product shifts even a few millimeters, it can result in a stoppage or an error in the cycle.
This is all the more so in typical human situations, but it is insurmountable for a robot: dropping a part on the floor or into the conveyor belt is solved by a human in seconds (Dixon et al., 2019). However, it would not have been possible for the robot to solve this problem without human assistance. This occurrence is possible in the future, but even such an elementary process disruption can bring the entire plant to a standstill. With the current pace of development, it is impossible to anticipate a full-fledged solution to such issues.
Artificial Intelligence
When approaching the question of artificial intelligence, first of all, it is necessary to recall the paradox of such intelligence, which is known to all scientists. There are several interpretations, but the main point can be deduced in one way: when examined in detail, what is considered artificial intelligence is not (Boyd & Holton, 2018). Given the diversity of learning and self-learning systems, it is inevitable that they will follow the algorithms set by humans (Klenert et al., 2022). That is why the very concept of such intelligence exists only in works of fantasy.
Moreover, it is more likely that the creation of such a thing is impossible in principle. The human intellect, with all its flaws and weaknesses, has evolved for many thousands of years, including learning from its own mistakes and the concept of free will (Boyd & Holton, 2018). Even if one tries to program similar things into modern systems, which the developers are strenuously doing, the instruction for free action is still an instruction, so it cannot be evaluated as free will. This is why a paradox exists in artificial intelligence. No matter how widely developed and trained an algorithm or its carrier is, artificial intelligence cannot be considered intelligence by definition.
However, it is worth noting that even with this development, there is a tendency for specific professions unrelated to free thinking, those that involve solving trivial tasks, to decline significantly. Software products are increasingly capable of handling tasks, and those involving standard calculations, statistical analysis, or data processing will be increasingly left to automation. At the same time, humans are required to constantly control and monitor the process. In such a case, there is indeed the possibility of a decrease in the number of vacancies, not only in physical labor but also in natural and financial sciences. At the same time, it should not be forgotten that non-standard situations exist, as many employers will prefer people-employees even in such positions.
The maximum recreation of human intelligence is possible with a complete understanding of all processes and connections within the human brain. Unfortunately, brain research today continues to form more questions for scientists than answers. Thus, a complete understanding of all its principles is possible in several decades and hundreds of years. After that, there is a possibility of attempts to create an artificial mind, but due to the enormous timeframe and ghostly prospects, reasoning in such a way about the number of vacancies does not make academic sense.
Overall Influence on Human Professions
While the number of vacancies in warehousing, manufacturing, and other basic physical jobs in developed countries has decreased significantly, the level of demand for such specialists in the rest of the developing world is unlikely to decline substantially. The cost of automation does not show a significant downward trend, which signals its unattractiveness among small organizations or firms with intermittent employment (1). In addition, all aspects of employee tasks involving social action are unlikely to be replaced by automation.
Numerous factors must be considered when making decisions or taking actions in social interactions. Artificial intelligence cannot understand emotional, facial, physiological, and other signals (Raj & Seamans, 2019). Even with the fullest possible prescription of all conditions, human interaction is too ambiguous to be formalized in Boolean format. Thus, all social and related work, including sales and management, personnel policy, and recruiting, is inaccessible to robots.
Direct Impact on Employment
Current levels of technology development are undoubtedly astounding and tend to accelerate. However, development to the point of fundamentally changing society’s needs to a level of automation that exceeds the need for human jobs is still elusive. At the same time, one must give credit to the development and recognition of the likelihood that the situation may develop in a way that is negative for human society (Boyd & Holton, 2018).
The pace of technological development still exceeds that of the industry, while taking a toll by replacing elementary physical labor with robots in large enterprises. Accordingly, a reorientation of society toward a different format of existence is necessary for the near future. The number of engineers, managers, and programmers is far less significant than that of physical workers in production or households.
Thus, even a significant increase in the need for new specialists controlling, managing, and organizing robots will be insufficient compared to unemployment among the working class (Raj & Seamans, 2019). Strategies to combat such a future include informing the masses, creating new professions, and maximizing the development of the fields arising from machine development. The further development of technology and the emergence of new tasks will contribute to retraining and slowing the unemployment rate. In addition, the potential for cheaper production and labor easing can contribute to economic growth and reduce the cost of services. These, in turn, can help the social sphere sustain a larger number of unemployed people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, several basic ideas support the thesis that artificial intelligence and robotics will not capture a large number of jobs in the near future. First, it is difficult to create artificial intelligence and its applications. The second is the cost and profitability of such equipment, as well as its inability to work effectively with people. In addition to all of the above, one should also note that the level of technology development is difficult to predict, and making an analysis without adequate information makes no sense.
References
Adachi, D., Kawaguchi, D., & Saito, Y. U. (2022). Robots and employment: Evidence from Japan, 1978-2017. Journal of Labor Economics. Web.
Boyd, R., & Holton, R. J. (2018). Technology, innovation, employment, and power: Does robotics and artificial intelligence really mean social transformation? Journal of Sociology (Melbourne, Vic.), 54(3), 331–345. Web.
Dahlin, E. (2019). Are robots stealing our jobs? Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World, 5. Web.
Dixon, J., Hong, B., & Wu, L. (2019). The employment consequences of robots: Firm-level evidence. SSRN Electronic Journal. Web.
Klenert, D., Fernández-Macías, E., & Antón, J.-I. (2022). Do robots really destroy jobs? Evidence from Europe. Economic and Industrial Democracy. Web.
Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2019). Primer on artificial intelligence and robotics. Journal of Organization Design, 8(1). Web.