Is AI taking away our jobs?

When people talk about automation and robots, there is often a fear that technology will take over our jobs. But is that really the case? The history and reality of automation show that this is a misconception.

History repeats itself

Let's go back to the 19th century for a moment. Before the invention of the refrigerator, thousands of people worked in the ice industry. Ice was taken from lakes and rivers, stored and transported to homes and businesses. When the refrigerator made its appearance, did all these people become unemployed? No. They found new jobs in emerging industries, often in manufacturing and logistics, which were actually growing because of new technologies. This pattern repeats itself all the time. New technologies force markets and jobs to change. But they also create new opportunities.

Market acceleration

In almost all sectors, automation is speeding up production processes. Companies have to compete, and that means more efficient production and a wider range of services. As a result, the role of workers is evolving: they are not being replaced, but their tasks are changing. Where repetitive tasks used to be central, the focus is now on tasks with more added value. Operators have to think about processes, solve problems and support machines. Technology does not make our work redundant, but it changes the way we work.

A practical example: inspecting mushrooms

A few years ago, mushrooms were inspected by hand by many workers.Automation has taken over this task; where there used to be several workers on the belt, there is now a single machine that performs quality control on the mushrooms. This does not mean that those workers have become obsolete. On the contrary, they can now be used for more value-added tasks, such as process improvement and machine maintenance.

Conclusion: How AI is helping us and not threatening the worker

AI is not taking away our jobs in industry; it is helping us work smarter and more efficiently. Like the steam engine in 1764, Henry Ford's assembly line in 1870, computers and robotics in 1950, we are now on the eve of the fourth industrial revolution: AI. Each technological advance did not replace people, but rather created new opportunities and roles. AI takes over boring, repetitive tasks so workers can focus on more valuable work. This makes industry faster, safer and more innovative, without making people redundant. Instead, workers will have more opportunities to learn and collaborate with technology. AI is not a threat, but a tool that moves the industry and its people forward.