We’re entering a revolutionary era with the advent of robotics and artificial intelligence. This era will see tremendous new opportunities across many industries. However, along with the excitement and anticipation that are associated with these innovations, fear plays a huge part in the narrative. Many fear losing jobs to robots if AI is implemented on a global scale.

To dispel this fear, let us take a look at history. Predictions of doomsday for the workforce have been around from the time of the Industrial Revolution. As current reality proves, these predictions are not only invalid but also unsubstantiated. Any significant transformation in the process of working has always been accompanied by a fear rampant of losing jobs by redundancy. There is no denying that such transformations do impact jobs, but ultimately new jobs are created in place of old ones, maintaining stability in the workforce.

The reality of the impact of AI on the workforce is complex, nuanced, and still in transition. The onus to open new windows of opportunity by training workers for emerging skill sets falls on innovators and industry leaders.

Automation is testament to tech-innovation producing more jobs. Companies that have adopted processes that have automation at their core have seen higher customer demands, better margins, and higher wages. Such innovations also result in a greater demand for technology-specific experts who know how to best utilize automation tools.

It is essential to change the perception of an AI-driven future being one that is man vs. machines to one that is man and machines working together.

AI augmentation is instrumental to preparing the current workforce for the future. AI augmentation combines human and artificial intelligence where the two work complementary to each other. An additional benefit of AI augmentation is boost in productivity owing to continuous economic success. It is important to perceive AI as a means to do our jobs more efficiently and effectively rather a way of replacing us.

Seeing that organizations are equipping their employees with skills that will be in demand as AI becomes more widely adopted, some forward-looking computer engineering college in India are following suit. Acquiring such advanced skills at a student level will be highly beneficial for engineers when they graduate and give them an edge over their peers who would only then be starting to develop new skills.

This is not limited to computer science engineering alone, even mechanical engineering colleges with f oresight focus on creating a strong foundation in mechatronics so that their students have the required knowledge to excel in the upcoming field of robotics.