Beiruting News

Jobs done by half the workers in Japan could be performed by artificial intelligence or robots in 10 to 20 years, according to recent estimates by a Japanese think tank and researchers at Britain's University of Oxford.

Together with Michael Osborne and Carl Benedikt Frey, co-directors of the Oxford Martin Program on Technology and Employment, the Nomura Research Institute examined the potential impact of computerization on 601 types of jobs in Japan that currently employ 42.8 million people.

They calculated the number of jobs for which more than 66 per cent of the tasks could be done by AI or robots. And they found 49 per cent of workers in Japan could be replaced by computers.

Similar studies have shown the ratio to be 47 per cent in the United States and 35 per cent in Britain.

The types of occupations susceptible to computerisation include administrative workers, taxi drivers, cashiers, security guards, building cleaners and hotel housekeeping staff. The study found those jobs tend not to require special knowledge or skills.

The research showed professions that likely will not be performed by AI or robots include medical doctors, school teachers, academic researchers and jobs requiring communications with people such as tour guides and beauticians.

The study only indicates whether it is technically possible to replace humans with computers and does not take into account social factors such as the balance of labour supply and demand for various types of jobs, the Japanese think tank said.

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