TECHNOLOGY. Future shock: AI, robots set to change the way we live and work

When a CEO and CTO of the $25-billion Japanese Corporation NEC highlight and debate societal issues and technological challenges of the future, it is aimed at driving home a message: society has to brace up to future challenges.

We are at the cusp of experiencing a major transformation, driven by artificial intelligence-powered digitisation and Internet of Things in a society, where routine jobs are lost to artificial intelligence and robots, which will be part of futuristic Society 5.0.

Not Japan-specific Fast forward to 2030. While this may look quite specific to the Land of Rising Sun, it may be a reality in several other countries as well. Takashi Niino, President and CEO, NEC Corporation, said: “The artificial intelligence-powered digital transformation and Internet of Things (IoT) are set to impact us in many ways in the coming wave of smart cities, smart stores, smart transportation, calling for new approaches to the way we live, commute and shop.”

Working towards the mission of ‘Orchestrating a brighter future’, Niino predicted a big shift where AI will replace jobs and robots will handle a number of routine tasks that people currently do.

Professionals would have to shift focus to value-added work roles.

“The year 2030 would be quite different from where we are now,” he said.

“Japan,” said Niino, “is faced with the challenges of decreasing population. From 126 million now, it is likely to go down to 110 million, with one of three in the elderly population bracket. Life expectancy is likely to go up to 100-plus years.”

Call for changes This calls for significant changes in human work style in manufacturing, finance and medicine, where there is likely to be growing cooperation between people and AI.

“In Japan, AI and robots may replace a number of jobs. This will force people to re-skill to higher levels of jobs. But the AI impact may pose a big threat in other larger economies with bigger population as well,” he said.

“From Industries 4.0 where the focus was on efficiency in industries, it is time to look at the concept of Society 5.0, where happiness index is central. We are in a different era where there is technological disruption and disruptions in society where conventional jobs will be lost and new types created,” Katsumi Emura, Chief Technology Officer and Member of Board, NEC, told Business Line .

“Our endeavour is to create a society that lives in harmony with the Earth by reducing resource consumption and environmental impact. Present calculations indicate that by 2050, we will need resources equivalent to twice what the Earth can produce. Such a scenario has triggered a major debate to make it sustainable.”

(The writer was in Tokyo at the invitation of NEC Corporation)