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Robots might be coming for our jobs - but millennials aren't worried

Abby Jackson   

Robots might be coming for our jobs - but millennials aren't worried
Strategy1 min read

Charllotte Abbot shakes hands with Pepper an interactive French-Japanese robot, during a press preview for the Robots exhibition held at the Science Museum in London, Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017. The exhibition which shows 500 years of mechanical and robotic advances is open to the public form Feb. 8 through to Sept. 3.

AP Photo/Alastair Grant

Young people are optimistic about robots in the workplace.

Some experts point to the quickly evolving nature of jobs due to automation as evidence robots will replace human workers.

But millennials have largely given a collective shrug about such proclamations.

Nearly 80% of young people who participated in the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers Survey 2017 believe that technology is creating, rather than destroying, jobs for humans.

The survey, given to more than 31,000 18-to-35-year-olds across 186 countries, showed that millennials are optimistic about the impact of technology on their future jobs. Respondents pointed to artificial intelligence and robotics as some of the biggest trends in technology, and feel that education, healthcare, and manufacturing as sectors would particularly benefit from the adoption of new technologies.

Still, while millennials embrace technology and believe it improves their lives in general, they do have some reservations when it comes to certain applications, according to the survey.

When asked about the possibility of "embedding an implant under their skin or in their brain to increase their capabilities," about 44% rejected the idea. That's not as unheard-of as it sounds - companies in Sweden and Wisconsin are already experimenting with embedding microchips in employees.

You can read the complete Global Shapers Survey 2017 here >>

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