Exploring the current state of AI

There is a lot of hype going on right now in the intersecting worlds of AI and robotics. And a lot of it is just exaggeration.

One common myth is that robots are taking jobs away from people. In truth, robots and automation free up workers to do more productive tasks. The truth of this can be seen in job statistics – unemployment in the US is at a 50-year low (https://www.wsj.com/articles/january-jobs-report-unemployment-rate-economy-growth-2023-11675374490), despite massive improvements in factory automation. However, according to The Harvard Business Review, the improved productivity of robotics creates more jobs than it removes (https://hbr.org/2021/03/why-robots-wont-steal-your-job). The overall level of employment has increased, not gone down because of automation and increased productivity.

I do recognize that the modern worker, even someone like myself, who works in technology, must be ready and willing – at any age –...