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Elon Musk recently announced the new version of the Optimus Gen robot, the Optimus Gen 2. He showcased them doing simple housekeeping tasks like watering plants, cleaning and organizing. Its mobility was also showcased with the robot doing squats and balancing on one leg. But the question arises: do we need humanoid robots?
Some say we do not have to make more humanoid robots, and there are infinitely more creative ways to design them for their specific purposes. For example, a housekeeping robot does not need to be designed like humans; it simply needs to do housekeeping tasks more efficiently than humans. Humans did not specifically evolve to do housekeeping tasks, but with the innovation of robots, we can design them to do things much more efficiently.
Others say that human-like robots can “blend” in with society by making things easier. For example, if we want robots to work in factories designed to be maintained by humans, it will be easier to design humanoid robots to navigate the factory. In this case, if houses were designed for humans specifically, maybe a humanoid robot would be better for more efficiency. Not to mention, if robots looked like humans it could benefit our connection with them.
In this case, Tesla wants to create humanoid robots that perform repetitive, boring and difficult human tasks. If the robot is designed to do “human things,” then it makes sense that the Optimus Gen 2 is a humanoid. Furthermore, Musk intends to mass-produce these robots for public use, which means that robots may benefit the economy.
There are many ways we can innovate robots, whether it is for efficiency at certain tasks, designs, or social purposes; robots are continually growing at rapid speeds. Whether we design them a certain way or not, we are still on the right path. But as robots and AI continue to grow, we must ask ourselves if it is ethical or beneficial that they are taking over our front-end jobs.
If Elon’s housekeeping robot (Optimus Gen 2) can do basic housekeeping tasks, then there is no doubt that in the future, we might not even need cleaning staff anymore. If robots take over jobs in sectors like factories, fast food restaurants and janitorial services, it might cause more problems. If robots were to take away everyone’s job, we would have a larger wealth gap leading to an economic crisis for many.
An article by Pinar Yildirim states that every one additional robot per 1,000 workers decreased the average local market career value by $3,900 between 2004 and 2008, and by $2,480 between 2008 and 2016. She also states that as robots are adopted into the workforce, front-end workers lose the ability to spend money in their community. This could mean that the domestic market value will decrease as well.
Even though this may seem like a significant detriment for low-skilled workers, it may benefit the average skilled worker. For example, certain jobs that cannot be taken over by robots will remain relevant. The efficiencies of these robots working in front-end jobs will also benefit corporations that contribute to our economy and community. Additionally, as robots and AI start to grow in significance, they’re also projected to create 97 million new roles in tech-related careers.
The question of robots’ utility is subjective. Robots can help us do repetitive tasks and save us time in return. In addition, they create millions of new jobs and other advancements that make it rational for us to integrate robots and AI into our society. Everything aside, AI robots have evolved tremendously and they are slowly but surely proving their worth to humans.
