Chapter 10 | Work and Wealth

Automation and Employment

Automation is defined in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the technique of making an apparatus, a process, or a system operate automatically" [1].

Automation has been instrumental in the loss and creation of jobs. As automation shifts the workforce, many jobs are affected by this change. Jobs such as manufacturing or jobs that include repetitive learnable processes are being replaced by machines that can do the same process more efficiently [2].

It is estimated that around 50% of all current work activities are theoretically capable of being automated, with 6 out of every 10 occupations having 30% of their activities able to be performed by a computer once the technology is adapted to do so [3]. If all of these tasks are replaced by automated labor, there would be radical transformations in workplace structures across the globe.

With the majority of jobs subject to automation falling under the realm of formulaic type work (physical labor/data processing/etc), a significant proportion of jobs would be displaced, causing large classes of people to have to shift occupations or learn new skills. Outside of self managed career searching, this large initial displacement of workers will have to somehow be accommodated for or somehow reemployed quickly to prevent rising unemployment which would offset any economic gains from automation.

Another concern that automation introduces with respect to employment is potentially raising the current educational requirements for many jobs as well as changing necessary skills to more cognitive ones like logical reasoning and social and emotional abilities that computers have difficulty replicating. This could contribute to income polarization because individuals who do not have the financial means to pursue higher education might be cut out of a large number of jobs that they could have had before automation, and thus will be further separated from the individuals on the other side of the wage trend.

Automated Jobs in 21

In the movie 21 (2008), a biometric facial recognition software is increasingly claiming jobs in the casino security sector. The antagonist security consultant, Cole Williams, is losing work and employees to this new software being used to catch card counters. Throughout the movie Cole is faced with the struggle of being replaced by this new software. While his job was to identify card counters on the casino floor, the process of recognizing facial patterns, behavioral movements, and strategy of playing is a process that is learnable by a computer and can therefore be automated. Cole argues to his contractors that what he is able to do goes beyond the capabilities of the software, as he, unlike the machines, is able to detect teams of individuals working together as opposed to just isolated cases. This is important in the movie, because the card counting team has individuals that consistently bet the table minimum and their sole purpose is to track the count of the deck and signal to the main players when to join the table. A computer would not identify this spotter as a card counter, nor would it detect unusual gestures used to signal an accomplice, like Cole is able to. Despite this, the conclusion of the movie sees Cole being forced into retirement and losing his job to this new automated technology.

Automated Jobs in Vegas
Vegas is at a high risk for job automation, due to the amount of employment opportunities with low income wages. Currently it is projected that in 20 years, 65% of all jobs in the city of Vegas could be automated [4]. This is a result of these low wage jobs being repetitive in nature and thus can be replicated by a computer. Automating the jobs in Vegas has faced backlash from Nevada's labor union [4]. Companies like MGM have been forced to make agreements with the labor unions to help preserve jobs for the moment [5]. This will slow down, but will not entirely prevent the automation of low income jobs in Vegas. However, among the workers interviewed, it was generally agreed upon that this automation would not cause a loss of jobs, rather a shift in responsibilities that their current job would entail [5]. There is currently is no evidence of biometric facial recognition being used to catch card counters in Vegas and if it is being used it is most likely being kept a trade secret, as card counters and casinos play cat and mouse.

References
[1] Merriam-Webster, "Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: automation" (Merriam-Webster) Accessed 3 May 2021. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/automation

[2] Michael Quinn, Ethics for the Information Age, 8/e (Pearson, 2020), p 484. Accessed 3 May 2021.

[3] Manyika, James. "Jobs lost, Jobs gained" (McKinsey Global Institute, 2017). Accessed 3 May 2021. https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/jobs-lost-jobs-gained-what-the-future-of-work-will-mean-for-jobs-skills-and-wages#

[4] Keller, Heather, "Robots could kill many Las Vegas jobs" (CNN, 2018). Accessed 3 May 2021. https://money.cnn.com/2018/01/29/technology/las-vegas-automation/index.html

[5] Komenda, Ed, "'It was bound to happen': Machines are coming to the Vegas Strip - and They May Take Jobs" (Reno Gazette-Journal, 2019), Accessed 3 May 2021. https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019/06/10/mgm-resorts-las-vegas-jobs-automated-machines-robots-employment/1335592001/