The Internet’s Greatest Disruptive Innovation — Inequality – Andrew Leonard, Salon
Businesses are adopting robots for new tasks, but will they kill jobs? – Esther Shein, ComputerWorld
The “Atlas” Humanoid Robot – John Markoff, New York Times
More high tech unemployment angst – Robert J. Samuelson, Washington Post
Immigrants vs. Agricultural Robots – The Daily Caller
White House Robotics Google+ Hangout – Whitehouse.gov (video here via Washington Post)
IBM’s new Cognitive Computing Chip and Programming Language – Singularity Hub
Automated Parking Garages – Singularity Hub
counter-arguments:
For the last time, Robots DO NOT Cause Unemployment – Scott Winship, Brookings Institution
Don’t Worry about Robots Stealing Jobs – Henry Blodget, Business Insider
“These Luddites are Wrong” – Andy Kessler, Wall Street Journal
Martin Ford 
Wow! Is economics the most closed-minded social science? The practitioners of economics see man’s mind and body as unbounded mystical wonders that can forever outperform machines. Economists need to look up and see the tremendous advances in the biological and computer sciences. Man, like all animals, is very finite in mental and physical function. Our machines continue to growing without any hard boundaries. In recent times, they’ve surpassed us in leaps and bounds.
Why does Japan – probably the world leader in robotics – currently have an unemployment rate of only @4% ? – What strings have the Japanese Government pulled in order to prevent all jobs going to robots ? 😉
Bren, maybe Japan’s unemployment stays low in the face of advancing automation because their population is shrinking?
http://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/lessons-for-old-europe-from-japan-039-s-shrinking-population/demographics-birth-rate-pensions-elderly-shinzo-abe/c3s12505/
Thanks Talon, a good point and an interesting read. But don’t forget that the Japanese are not famous for telling the truth about their economic statistics, see >> http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/opinion/sunday/the-true-story-of-japans-economic-success.html?ref=opinion&pagewanted=all
There was another article I read recently that made mention of efforts made by the Japanese Government (at some point in the past) to ensure that large employers still provided enough human jobs. . . I have failed to track that down . . . perhaps someone else can help?
Relevant, maybe >> http://www.theneweconomy.com/technology/manufacturing-acknowledges-the-rise-of-the-machines
SNIPPET FROM THAT ARTICLE – Known as ‘autonomation’, the process allows the company to prevent defective products and overproduction, and to adapt to any problems that arise. The University of Michigan’s Professor Jeffrey K Liker, an expert on the firm, said: “Toyota has generally backed off when it put in too much automation and added back more people. And its latest processes have even more people than a couple of decades ago.”
Bren, thanks for the interesting article.
Martin, I’ve come to the view that there is NOTHING of concern for any policy maker with the Robotic Age. Happy to discuss. Please review the preliminary material here: http://sabhlokcity.com/2013/08/a-book-project-the-glorious-abundance-and-creativity-of-the-robotic-age/.
http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/009200.html
Iceland will be home of automated factories.
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/519241/report-suggests-nearly-half-of-us-jobs-are-vulnerable-to-computerization/
I have come to the conclusion that the unchecked combination of continuing rapid technological innovation which increases productivity, acting together with singular CEO focus on short term earnings improvement, that diverts resultant cost savings to stockholders, will ultimately destroy our economic/political system.
The restoration of a healthy balance between worker and stockholder interests will require federal intervention “…to promote the general Welfare” as is found in our country’s mission statement, the preamble to the Constitution.
There are at least four means of accomplishing this:
Tax and redistribute
Tax and make government employer of last resort
Strengthen unions
Use a punitive excess profits tax to clamp corporate payroll to earnings ratio to historical limits for each corporation.
I prefer the latter approach because the target is specific to corporate history and the decisions on how to meet the target are made by the executive team rather than by rigid government edict. Also, the W2 and earnings records already exist to facilitate federal implementation.