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Saturday 7 OctOber 2017 TECHNOLOGY
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Will your job be automated? 70 percent of Americans say no

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER dents expect that fast food
AP Economics Writer workers, insurance claims
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most processors and legal clerks
Americans believe their will be mostly replaced by
jobs are safe from the robots and computers dur-
spread of automation and ing their lifetimes. Nearly
robotics, at least during two-thirds think that most
their lifetimes, and only a retailers will be fully auto-
handful says automation mated in 20 years, with little
has cost them a job or loss or no human interaction
of income. between customers and
Just 30 percent of people employers.
surveyed say that it is at Americans’ relative opti-
least somewhat likely that mism about their own jobs
their own jobs will be done might be the more ac-
by computers or robots. curate assessment. Many
Seventy percent say it is recent expert analyses
not very or not at all likely. are finding less dramatic
Still, a survey by the Pew impacts from automation
Research Center also than studies from several
found widespread anxi- years ago that suggested
ety about the general up to half of jobs could be
impact of technological automated. In this Friday, Aug. 18, 2017, file photo, a new security robot, nicknamed ROD2, drives toward
change. Three-quarters of A report last week, issued Daniel Webb as it patrols the sidewalks and parking garage at River Oaks District in Houston.
Americans say it is at least by the education compa- Associated Press
“somewhat realistic” that ny Pearson, Oxford Univer- need to continually up- type of older workers un- a driverless car. A majority
robots and computers will sity, and the Nesta Founda- grade their skills as existing able to keep up with new are also not interested in
eventually perform most of tion found that just one in jobs evolve with new tech- technology, younger work- using a robotic caregiver
the jobs currently done by five workers are in occupa- nologies. ers — aged 18 through 24 for elderly relatives.
people. Roughly the same tions that will shrink by 2030. Just 6 percent of the re- — were the most likely to Thirty percent of respon-
proportion worry that such Many analysts increasingly spondents to the Pew sur- say that automation had dents said they think self-
an outcome will have neg- focus on the impact of au- vey said that they them- cost them a job or income. driving cars would actually
ative consequences, such tomation on specific tasks, selves have either lost a Eleven percent of workers cause traffic accidents to
as worsening inequality. rather than entire jobs. A job or seen their hours or in that group said automa- increase, and 31 percent
“The public expects a report in January from the incomes cut because of tion had cut their pay or said they would stay rough-
number of different jobs consulting firm McKinsey automation. Perhaps not work hours. That’s double ly the same. Just 39 percent
and occupations to be re- concluded that less than surprisingly, they have a the proportion of workers said they thought acci-
placed by technology in 5 percent of occupations much more negative view aged 50 through 64 who dents would decline.
the coming decades, but were likely to be entirely au- of technology’s impact on said the same. More than 80 percent sup-
few think their own job is tomated. But it also found work. Nearly half of those The Pew survey also found port the idea of requiring
heading in that direction,” that in 60 percent of occu- respondents say that tech- widespread skepticism self-driving cars to stay in
Aaron Smith, associate di- pations, workers could see nology has actually made about the benefits of many specific lanes.
rector at the Pew Research roughly one-third of their it harder for them to ad- emerging technologies, The survey was conducted
Center, said. tasks automated. vance in their careers. with most Americans say- in May and had 4,135 re-
More than half of respon- That suggests workers will Contrary to the stereo- ing they would not ride in spondents, Pew said.q
Goodbye: Pioneering AOL Instant Messenger to be discontinued

By PATRICK MAIRS dress will still be able to use ill-fated merger with Time
Associated Press it.Launched in 1997, AOL Warner that was complet-
AOL announced Friday Instant Messenger was at ed in 2001.
that it is discontinuing its the forefront of what was Its popularity as a com-
pioneering Instant Messen- called at the time the big- munication tool waned
ger chat platform after 20 gest trend in online com- amid the rise of text mes-
years of service. munication since email. saging, Google Chat and
An article on AOL’s web- The platform, which pro- social networking sites.De-
site posted Friday says AOL vided instant access to spite the decline in usage,
Instant Messenger will be friends and contacts on the announcement Fri-
discontinued on Dec. 15. In a user’s “buddy list,” was day made the platform a
a blog post , a spokesman wildly popular for the first trending topic online and
for AOL’s parent company few years after its launch. It revealed an outpouring of
explained the platform’s claimed more than 100 mil- nostalgia. Some users post-
demise as the casualty of lion registered users in 2001. ed images of the AIM’s fa-
the evolving way people AOL was fiercely protective mous “running man” logo
communicate. of its dominance in the in- outfitted with wings and a
“AIM tapped into new stant messaging market. It halo. Others reminisced.
digital technologies and In this Jan. 12, 2010, file photo, an AOL logo is seen in the com- fended off rivals, including In his post, Albers noted the
pany’s office in Hamburg, Germany. AOL announced on Oct. 6,
ignited a cultural shift, but 2017, that it will discontinue its once-popular Instant Messenger Microsoft, by blocking their strong affinity many feel for
the way in which we com- platform on Dec. 15. messaging platforms from the messaging platform
municate with each other Associated Press communicating with AOL and its place in the evolu-
has profoundly changed,” users. Its actions prompted tion of communication.
wrote Michael Albers, vice The program will still func- to sign in and all data will be a coalition of rivals to com- “In the late 1990s, the world
president of communica- tion until Dec. 15 After that deleted. AOL says people plain to the federal gov- had never seen anything
tions at Oath. date, users won’t be able with an aim.com email ad- ernment ahead of AOL’s like it,” he wrote. q