In utopian science fiction, machines free humans so they can enjoy a life of leisure and enlightenment. In dystopian stories, machines enslave or exterminate humans. Reality has been, on average, a middletopia: a mean between the worst possible world and the best possible world. But a good case can be made that reality is more of a dystopia-lite; a bad world, but better than a full dystopia. While people still dream of utopia, there are those who are working hard to push us further into dystopia.
On a positive note, robots have replaced humans in some jobs that are dirty, dull, or dangerous. In some cases, the displaced humans have moved on to better jobs. In other cases, they have moved into other dirty, dull or dangerous jobs to wait for the machines to replace those jobs. Machines have also replaced humans in jobs humans see as desirable and AI companies are determined to continue that trend, having selected writing and art as prime targets This leads to questions about what jobs will be left to humans and which will be taken over by the machines
There was once the intuitively appealing view that “creative” jobs would be safe from machines, but physical labor would be easily taken over by machines. On this view, machines will replace jobs such as those held by warehouse pickers, construction workers and janitors. Artists, philosophers, and teachers were supposed to be safe from the machine revolution. In some cases, the intuitive view was correct. Machines are routinely used for physical labor such as constructing cars and robot Socrates has yet to show up. However, the intuitive view about creative tasks is under attack as AI is used in journalism, law, academics and image creation. There are also tasks that would seem easy to automate, such as cleaning toilets or doing construction, that are very hard for robots, but easy for humans.
An example of a task that would seem ideal for automation is warehouse picking, especially of the sort done by Amazon. Amazon and other companies have automated some of the process, making use of robots in various tasks. But humans are still a critical part of the picking process. Since humans tend to have poor memories and get bored with picking, human pickers are “remote controlled” by computers that tell them what to do, then they tell the computers what they have done. For example, a human might be directed to pick five boxes of acne medicine, then five more boxes of acne medicine, then a copy of Fifty Shades of Gray and finally an Android phone. Humans are very good at picking and dealing with things like a broken bottle of shampoo in a box that robots still handle poorly.
In this sort of warehouse, the humans are being controlled by the machines. The machines take care of the higher-level activities of organizing orders and managing, while the human brain handles the task of selecting the right items and dealing with some tasks the machines cannot handle. While selecting seems simple, this is because it is simple for humans but not for existing robots. We are good at recognizing, grouping and distinguishing things and have the manual dexterity to perform the picking tasks, thanks to our opposable thumbs. Unfortunately for the human worker, these picking tasks are probably not very rewarding, creative or interesting and this is exactly the sort of drudge job that robots are supposed to free us from.
While computer-controlled warehouse work is one example of humans being directed by machines, it is easy to imagine this approach applied to tasks that require manual dexterity and what might be called “animal skills” such as object recognition. It is also easy to imagine this approach extended far beyond these jobs as a cost-cutting measure.
One way this approach could cut costs would be by allowing employers to buy “skilled” AI systems and use them to direct unskilled human labor. For simple jobs, a human might be directed via a headset linked to the AI that tells the human what to do, providing the “intelligence” guiding the body. For more complex jobs, a human might wear a VR style helmet with a machine directing the human via augmented reality. For example, an unskilled human could be walked through electrical or plumbing work by an AI. It should be noted that this technology could also be useful for people doing DIY projects and someday a person might be able to rent skills (via AI) as they now rent tools. But this could also impact the labor market, especially if almost anyone could use the technology effectively.
In this system, humans would provide the manual dexterity and all those highly evolved physical capacities. The AI would provide the direction, skill and “intelligence.” Since any adequately functional human body would suffice to serve the controlling AI, the value of such human labor would be low, and wages would match this value. Workers would be easy to replace because if a worker is fired or quits, then a new worker can simply don the interface device and get about the task with little training. This would also save in education costs as AI directed laborer would not need much education in job skills as these are by the AI. Humans would just need the basis skills allowing them to be directed properly by AI. This does point towards a dystopia in which human bodies are driven around through the workday by AI, then released and sent home in driverless cars. One could even imagine this technology being used in education: a human body providing an in-person presence while an AI directs the teaching process.
The employment of humans in these roles would only continue if humans were the cheapest form of available labor. If advances allow robot bodies to do these tasks cheaper, then it would make business sense to replace humans completely. Alternatively, biological engineering might lead to the production of cost-effective engineered life forms that can replace humans; perhaps a pliable primate that is just smart enough to be directed by the AI. But not human enough to be considered a slave. Or, to go deeper into dystopia, perhaps a cyborg will be built that has hardware in place of the higher parts of the brain and thus serves as a meat robot driven around the job by the AI that is using the evolved biological features that cannot be replicated cost-effectively by machinery. While such things remain science fiction, now is the time to start considering the laws and policies that should govern remote controlled humans in the workplace.