6 Minute English - Will robots take our jobs?

Now, what do you know about robots? Robots? Well, they talk in a funny way ... like that~ way… like that! Yes. it You sound quite convincing there actually, Finn. Do you like it? Yes, I do. Is there anything else you know about robots?

Well, they there are… there are couples a couple of good ones in the Star Wars, aren’t there? Oh, yes. R2-D2 and C-3PO. C-3PO talks in quite a human voice. He does. But of course that's science fiction not really reallife. No. But things have moved on in real life. The US use of machines to do work that people do or used to do is called automation and that's the subject of today's show. But before we talk more about this, I l'd like you, Neil, to answer today's quiz question. What makes a job more likely to be done by robots? Is it...if a job involves in it if a job involves… a) manipulating small objects? b) working in open spaces? Or c) social and emotional skills?

OK. I got a Well, I’m going to guess. at Manipulating small objects, I think. Interesting. OK, we'll find out if you are right or wrong later on. Now, two UK academics have calculated how substitute tool - susceptible to – that means likely to be affected by – how acceptable susceptible to automation each job is based on some key skills. That's And these include negotiation, persuasion, caring for others, originality, and manual dexterity – nowthat means being good with your hands. So do you think intelligent machines could replace us? Well, maybe you, Neil. Not mean. me, no. I have all the key skills you know – I am original… persuasive… of course withcaring in. That will get it very caring and very good with my hands as well, I think. Well I'm very glad that you are so safe, Finn! Well, However, a study from Oxford University has suggested that 35% of existing UK jobs isare being automated in the next 20 years. Let's listen to XXXXX, Michael Osborne from Oxford University talking about this. Computers seems are increasingly able to learn in the a way that being with ever in short hasbeen a reserve of human beings. So inner in their ability to learn, computers so be are able to perform a much wider range of tasks than I was doing they’ve been able to do in the past. So as a result it's not just manualrobot, it's labour that’s coming under a threat able formation. of automation. It's increasingly XXX and waber – a XX of mine. cognitive labour – the labour of the mind.

XXXXX Michael Osborne. And cognitive neighbor labour means using your XXX noggin – that's using your or head! So computers and machines are also their XXX using their noggins and getting smarter. And office workers who do repetitive jobs such as drawing up spreadsheets good could be replaced with software. But sheer surely jobs like being a doctor or a lawyer are safe, Neil? Well, some of white-collar jobs may be less safe than you think. I want city XXX, At one city law firm junior stuff, have retreated contracts staff have to read through contracts, assessing them for risks. But now an artificial intelligence programme can do that faster and better. So white collar refers to a job that you do at an office rather than in a factory. And artificial intelligence refers to a computer's ability to copy and intelligent human behaviour. Now let's listen to XXXXXX MatthewWhalley from a city XXX law firm to find out what he thinks. What you think is doing you’re seeing the robot do now, the robot can do in three seconds what you would take a royaler group of lawyers days to do. And theirthe advantage is they can do huge able XXX that it can do huge volumes, incredibly reliably and in unbelievable times. There is huge works to do XXX a a huge amount of this work to do and lawyers have far better higher-value and leave for legal analysis to worry about.

Well he thinks that there is work for the lawyers and the computers. In fact it sounds like a good division of labour – the computers do the boring stuff and the lawyers do the more interesting work! Yes. Well, let's keep our fingers crossed we that we’ve got good prospects. too You know, I don't want our listeners to (robot voice) start listening to robot presenters any time soon! Indeed, we need! We talk about keeping our fingers crossed when we hope that things are going to turn out in the way we want they them to in the future. Let's That’s right. So, should So shall we hear the answer to today's quiz question? Neil, I asked you: What makes a job more likely to be done by robots?