Read the passage carefully and then do the tasks:
With millions of jobs set to be replaced by changes in technology, we may not be able to stop the rise of robots and automation. The robots are coming. We can see the enormous strides that technology makes each year and the jobs taken over by automation. Yes, believe or not, there really are robots performing surgeries on humans. Robot – assisted surgery can give surgeons more precise control over their instruments and an improved view of what are they doing.
Computer systems are becoming incredibly good at performing multi – faceted tasks. Take autonomous cars which can be classified as robotic vehicles. Driving would fit all the criteria for a complicated task that only humans should be able to perform, yet we have autonomous cars increasingly racking up the miles collision free. In the game – playing arena, we are seeing machines beat the previously unbeatable professional players and generally encroaching on skills that once belonged to humans alone. All these technologies eventually can be integrated into robots. Are we close to the tipping point where humans become redundant in many sectors?
According to a recent survey, four million jobs in the British private sector could be replaced by robots in the next decade. That would impact on 15 percent of the current workforce and would have much the same impact in Ireland. Of course, new opportunities will come along, particularly ones which require strong cognitive and social skills, but this really means that people will have to become more human.
A. Decide whether the following sentences are True (T) or False (F)
1. We cannot put a stop on technology innovation.
2. Robotic systems can help surgeons increase precision.
3. Computer systems are only capable of carrying out multiple simple tasks.
4. Driving task is so complex that it can’t be performed by an autonomous vehicle.
5. Self – driving cars can travel miles without accident.
6. People in many sectors have lost their jobs because of automation.
7. In the next ten years, robots could take over four million jobs in the British private sector.
8. In the future, people will just do the jobs that require strong cognitive and social skills.
B. Answer the questions
1. Why is robot – assisted surgery used?
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2. Can robots defeat human players in games?
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3. What percentage of the Ireland workforce could be affected by the use of robots in 10 years’ time?
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4. Will technology create new job opportunities for the human race?
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5. What jobs can human do better than robots?
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