The Golden Age of Automation | TED Talk | Emir Aden Dini

[Slide No. 1] We are living in one of the most transformative periods in human history,
technologically wise.
[Slide No. 2] Our daily lives are migrating to the digital realm. At every intersection, we find
ourselves reliant on technology to aid us in staying connected, doing business, expressing our
creativity, exploring our world and planning our future. Yet, we are also experiencing the
automation of our world. Today, I will focus on this area and explain why the automation of our
economy , our military and our world will become a dominant issue in the near future, especially
for our generation.
[Slide No. 3]
When we think of automation, what comes to mind? Usually people think of
robotic arms assembling cars with an industrial backdrop. This however is the 20th century notion
of automation. Today, automation looks like this.
[Slide No. 4]
Automation is software able to surrogate (or replace) for entire profession(s). A well
known example is tax software, a task once done by many tax professionals. Other examples
include apps that can deposit your checks (formerly done by bank tellers) or allow you to purchase
insurance (once done by insurance agents). Automation also looks like this...Its check out lanes,
generalized assembly robots and driverless cars.
[Slide No. 5] All these technologies have two features. One is that they increase productivity (or
in other words, streamline business or customer needs). The second and more important feature is
that they create obsoletion for those within the same occupational niche.
Its hard to frame humans in terms of obsoletion but economically speaking, that is what is
happening.
In the future, obsoletion is going to become much more likely and on a scale that is hard to
fathom.
[Slide No. 6]
Consider this map produced by the folks at NPR, it shows the most popular
occupations by state. Notice anything? Which occupation is most common? Its truck drivers.
Now I want you to ask yourselves what will it mean in 2, 3, perhaps 5 years time when driverless
vehicles become commercially available.
[Slide No. 7]
Driverless technologies like this. This is Mercedes new driverless trucks which
specifically target this market and those employed by it.
The outcome will be that industry will likely lay off truck drivers in droves, leading to upticks in
our unemployment rate. Some of these folks may pick up new trades and re-enter the workforce

under different occupations but considering the popularity of the occupation, itll be very hard for
the economy to adjust to soo many unemployed people within such a small time frame.
And if your not a truck driver, there is probably a robot that will take your job in the near future.
[Slide No. 8] Modern day robots can run, walk, do squats and even play soccer with the President
of the United States. As you can see from video clip behind me showing Honda Asimo robot
kicking a ball to President Barack Obama.
To the side is A.L.O, a robotic butler and at the bottom is RIBA a robot designed to assist patients.
Considering these examples, its not hard to conceive that in the near future, similiar robots will
undoubtedly overcome current limitations (like understanding human commands and moving as
gracefully as humans) to become a serious threat to us in the workplace.
Very few occupations would survive a robot take over since these machines would able to
surrogate in almost all our modern day occupations. Whether it may a cook at Mcdonalds, an
assembly worker or even a Fedex delivery person. Robots will be indispensable and able to manage
and execute an over-arching variety of occupations.
[Slide No. 9] Now, its natural to exhibit some skepticism but I want you to take a look at what
the leading economists and scientists have to say;
George Friedman , Nobel prize winning economist, Joseph Stiglitz to Bill Gates all consider
emerging robotic technologies as disruptive factor to our current economy. Friedman explicitly
states that advancements in robotic is correlated to displacement. Stiglitz suggests that such as a
displacement would be hard on the economy to adjust to. Bill Gates says as it is, that the future is
quite bleak for those that have occupations prone to being automated.
[Slide No. 10] On the other hand is Carl Frey and Michael Osborne of Oxford University. Frey
and Osburne examined modern day occupations in the United States to test how vulnerable they
would be to automation and their findings show that 47% of occupations are at risk to be
completely automated within the next decade or two. The table below from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics details some of these jobs, the numbers employed and wages earned.
Most of these jobs are on the lower end of the skills sets, but what matters most is not really the
skill level of the occupation but undisputable fact that these jobs employ the most people and they
are the kinda jobs people rely on to get through college or perhaps permanently as a source of
income.. Additionally, at stake are also mid to high level management and entire industries that
service workers in these categories.
[Slide No. 11] But thats only the economics of automation, you may be wondering how our
society will be affected ? Without any form of mitigation what is likely to happen is that (1)

unemployment rates will rise and stay persistently high. (2) Youth unemployment in particularly
will likely be very high. (3) Wealth inequality will dramatically rise and so will poverty rates. (4)
Our culture will likely undergo changes affected by the state of the economy. (5) so will our
politics.
However with mitigation in the form of planned out economies or legislative action to address the
issue will likely lead to (1) programs to help people transition, (2) subsidies to assist the loss of
income, or in other words a living wage (3) and new economic models to adjust to the shift
from labor driven economy to a labor-devoid economy.
Perhaps unbeknownst to us, we may be undergoing a form of societal evolution. Much in the
same way humans have evolved from hunting & gathering groups to farming communities, feudal
systems, industrial based societies to what appears to be the emergence of a society where human
ingenuity has eliminated the need for us to work all together and to dedicate ourselves to personal
fulfillment..
Now, I wish I could say the automation phenomena will end there. But it doesnt, our military is
also undergoing through some very dramatic changes, largely do to automation.
[Slide No. 12] Weve all heard about drones, but what about military machines? our armed forces
are attempting to use the same robot capable of playing soccer with President Obama and
equipping it w/ an M-16 and the software to distinguish friend from foe.
[Slide No. 13]
Behind me to the left is Petman, an early prototype robot developed through
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) funding. DARPA which is an acronym
meaning Defense Advance Research Projects Agency, or in simple terms the governments mad
scientist agency. DARPA works on exclusively developing and furthering scientific and
technological ideas on the on the fringe. To the right is the fruition of that work, Atlas. The man
standing next to Atlas is Chuck Hagel, our former secretary of defense.
If DARPA is successful in furthering these technologies, It will have profound implications on our
military.
In such a future, joining the military will likely be a privilege with shrinking spots reserved for
human combatants. Our future military leaders wont be the archetypical macho guy (something
that arose from reliance of leadership on battle hardened soldiers leading other soldiers) but more
alike to be nerdy, geeky but definitely tech savvy, a skill needed to manage the army of the future.
[Slide No. 14]
Its a harrowing thought but its the reality and future of what is called lethal
automation. A trend the United Nations attempted to halt in May of 2014 during its first
convention on the topic. The issue has even created adversarial groups, like the campaign to stop
killer robots which advocates in banning the development of basically killer robots or attempts to
give them autonomy. Despite how idealist the goal, the mere reality is that for nations like the

United States which spend hundreds of billions on defense, there will come a day when robot
soldiers will be at the dispense of our commander in chief.
[Slide No. 15]
The automation of our armed forces poses some fundamental risks. Including
limiting the use of force by the executive branch. The disconnect between human lives in future
conflicts involving these machines will create room for abuses of military power.
For example, imagine if President Obama had access to the technologies Ive described, would you
think he hesitate to deploy them to current conflicts across the globe? likely not considering how
dispensable and far removed these machines would be from the general public.
You dont have to look far to see this is what occurred with drone technologies, we witnessed
unparalleled and completely unrestricted use of them across the globe by the President, so why
would military machines be any different?
On a smaller scale, the diffusion of these machines to other nations and to individuals creates
worrisome unpredictably.
We have no safeguards to prevent these technologies from using against people living in repressive
countries. Future Arab Springs may be quelled with legions of robots sent out to intimidate or
brutalize protesters. How about criminal networks? Brazilian drug lords have already succeeded in
using small commercial drones to drug traffick, now imagine what theyll be able to do with a
killer robot? Itd be mayhem for any civic society.
Such concerns are not far from the minds of many, including Representative Jim McGovern. Rep.
McGovern is leading an effort on Capitol Hill to lay the groundwork needed to ensure a peaceful
transition into these technologies.

[Slide No. 16]

Complimenting McGoverns efforts is professor Ryan Calo of the University of
Washington. In 2014, Calo proposed the need to create a new Federal agency. As you can see
from the its logo behind me, the Federal Robotics Commission would assume the perplexing
responsibilities of emerging robotic technologies. From accidents caused by driverless cars to the
unpredictable uses or misuses emerging technologies will have. Such an agency would ensure
these technologies are used to enhance our lives. Like promoting these technology to be used to
protect children in schools, deter crime, protect wildlife, explore, exploit & settle outer space to
providing relief and protection to in need populations across the globe.
[Slide No. 17]
This is our shared future and we all have a stake in the trajectory these
developments take. So lets create it together and lets all get involved as these technologies begin to
emerge and become ever more present in our lives.

[Slide No. 18]

Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life, it perhaps the greatest of gods
gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, of arts and of sciences

Thank you
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