Americans Worry Robots Will Take Jobs, Leave Nothing to Do

 

Americans are worried about new technology.

美国人对新计划感到担忧。

They are concerned that machines, including robots, will take over work now done by humans.

他们担心包括机器人在内的机器会抢走人类目前从事的工作。

These findings² come from a new report by the Pew Research Center of Washington D.C.

这一研究结果来自华盛顿特区皮尤研究中心的一份新报告。

More inequality feared

担心不平等加剧

About 75 percent of Americans questioned by Pew said automation³ will increase income inequality between the rich and the middle class and poor.

大约75%接受皮尤调查的美国人表示，自动化会加大富人和中下阶层之间的收入差距。

And 64 percent of people expect automation to be so common in America that people will face difficulty finding¹ things to do with their lives.

大约64%的人士预期自动化在美国会普及，人们会难以找到事做。

Some of the concerns about technology come from a distrust about whether machines will always make the right decision. Pew said many Americans believe humans have better judgement in dealing⁴ with complex matters -- or when there is not one clear answer.

还有些对科技的担忧源自不信任机器是否总能做出正确决定。皮尤表示，很多美国人认为人类在处理复杂问题上，或者问题没有明确答案时拥有更好的判断力。

One example is selecting a person for a job. Three-quarters of Americans said they would not want to apply for a job that uses a computer program to choose the most qualified⁵ person.

例如招聘。3/4的美国人表示，他们不想申请一个使用电脑程序挑选合格人选的职位。

Americans have similar doubts about riding in a car without a driver. The Pew Research Center found that 56 percent of Americans would not ride in a driverless car. Fifty-nine percent said they would not use a robot caregiver.

美国人对乘坐无人驾驶汽车也抱有类似质疑。皮尤研究中心发现，56%的美国人不会乘坐无人驾驶汽车。59%的美国人声称不会接受机器人护工。

Government should step in

政府应该介入

Most Americans want the government to limit automation.

大多数美国人希望政府限制自动化。

For example, 87 percent support a requirement that all driverless vehicles have a human in the driver’s seat who can take control when needed. And 85 percent want to limit machines to mostly doing jobs that are dangerous or unhealthy for humans.

例如，87%的美国人支持出台一项政策，要求所有无人驾驶汽车必须有司机在必要时进行控制。还有85%的美国人希望限制机器主要从事对人类危险和不健康的工作。

About 33 percent of Americans believe that their own jobs are threatened by automation. About one in five said they knew someone whose hours were cut, or whose jobs were lost all together because of automation.

大约33%的美国人认为他们的工作受到了自动化的威胁。大约20%的美国人表示，他们知道有人因为自动化工作时间被缩减，或者失去了工作。

And only 25 percent expect more jobs to come from automation, Pew said.

皮尤表示，只有25%的人士预期自动化会产生更多岗位。

Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, spoke⁶ last May to graduating seniors from Harvard University in Massachusetts. His talk centered on the uncertain future facing young people.

Facebook联合创始人扎克伯格今年五月份对哈佛大学即将毕业的学生发表了讲话。他的讲话主要集中在年轻人面前未知的未来。

“Our generation will have to deal with tens of millions of jobs replaced by automation like self-driving cars and trucks,” Zuckerberg told the graduates.

扎克伯格对毕业生们表示：“我们这一代人将不得不面对数千万工作被自动化取代的情况，比如自动驾驶。”

Zuckerberg said young people will have to find projects that will bring both jobs and direct benefits to the people of the world.

扎克伯格表示，年轻人必须找到能够同时给世界人民带来就业和直接利益的项目。

He said in his speech that 300,000 people worked to put a man on the moon, and millions of people built the Hoover Dam as well as other great projects over the last 100 years.

他在演讲中说，在过去的一百多年里，有30万人努力把一个人送上了月球，数百万人建造了胡佛大坝以及其它伟大工程。

Zuckerberg also said, “Now, it’s our turn to do great things. I know you’re probably thinking, ‘I don’t know how to build a dam or get a million people involved in anything.’ But let me tell you a secret. No one does when they begin. Ideas don’t come out fully⁷ formed. They only become clear as you work on them. You just have to get started.”

扎克伯格还表示：“现在轮到我们来大展身手了。我知道你可能在想，‘我不知道如何建造大坝，或是让一百万人参与到任何事情中来。’但是我要告诉你一个秘密，没有人从一开始就知道怎么做，想法并不会在最初就完全成型。只有动手之后才会变得逐渐清晰。所以你只需要行动起来。”

Pew questioned over 4,000 people last May for its research on how Americans see automation.

皮尤今年五月份就美国人如何看待自动化对4千多人进行了调查。

I'm Bruce Alpert.

Words in This Story

robot - n. a real or imaginary⁸ machine that is controlled by a computer and is often made to look like a human or animal

optimism⁹ - n. a feeling or belief that good things will happen in the future

automation - n. to run or operate something, such as a factory, by using machines and computers instead of people to do the work

qualified - adj. having the necessary skill, experience, or knowledge to do a particular job

insurance - n. an agreement in which a person makes regular payments¹⁰ to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies, or to pay money equal to the value of something, such as a house or car if it is damaged, lost, or stolen

generation - n. a group of people born and living during the same time

1 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

2 findings   

n.发现物( finding的名词复数 )；调查（或研究）的结果；（陪审团的）裁决

参考例句：

• It behoves us to study these findings carefully. 我们理应认真研究这些发现。
• Their findings have been widely disseminated . 他们的研究成果已经广为传播。

3 automation   

n.自动化（技术），自动操作

参考例句：

• Automation will mean the loss of many jobs in this factory.自动化将意味着这个工厂要减少许多工作职位。
• Automation has helped to increase production.自动化促进了生产的发展。

4 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

5 qualified   

adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的

参考例句：

• He is qualified as a complete man of letters.他有资格当真正的文学家。
• We must note that we still lack qualified specialists.我们必须看到我们还缺乏有资质的专家。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

8 imaginary   

adj.想象中的，假想的，虚构的，幻想的；虚数的

参考例句：

• All the characters in this book are imaginary.此书中的所有人物都是虚构的。
• The boy's fears were only imaginary.这小孩的恐惧只是一种想象。

9 optimism   

n.乐观，乐观主义

参考例句：

• Don't pour cold water on their optimism.别给他们的乐观态度泼冷水。
• Optimism made him alive through the hard days.乐观主义使他在艰难的岁月里活了下来。

10 payments   

n.支付，付款，缴纳，报酬( payment的名词复数 )；付出的[要付出的]款项；报答，报偿

参考例句：

• Welfare payments cease as soon as an individual starts a job. 一旦就业，即停发福利救济。
• The law can compel fathers to make regular payments for their children. 这项法律可强制父亲定期支付子女的费用。