It's easy to believe that robots are stealing jobs from human workers and badly affect the job market; after all, you've likely heard that they are tracking and moving packages without the use of human hands.
But there's no need to worry about a robot takeover just yet, says a new study from BYU sociology professor Eric Dahlin. Dahlin's research found that robots aren't replacing (取代) humans at the rate most people think, but people are likely to greatly exaggerate (夸大) the rate of robot takeover.
To understand the relationship between job loss and robots, Dahlin surveyed nearly 2, 000 people about their views on jobs being replaced by robots. They were first asked to guess what is the percentage of employees whose employers have replaced jobs with robots. They were then asked whether their employers have ever replaced their jobs with robots.
The study found that only 14% of workers say they've seen their job replaced by a robot. But those who have experienced job displacement due to a robot overstate the effect of robots taking jobs from humans by about three times.
"Our understanding of robots taking over jobs is greatly exaggerated," says Dahlin. Those who haven't lost jobs overstate it by about double, and those who have lost jobs overstate it by about three times. Eye-catching headlines saying a bad future of employment have likely overblown the situation of robots taking over jobs.
The finding fits early studies, which suggest that robots aren't replacing workers. Rather, workplaces, where both employees and robots are working together, deliver more value in a way. "An everyday example is an autonomous machine at your local department store,"says Dahlin. "This robot cleans the floors while employees clean under shelves or other difficult-to-reach places. "
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