Will AI and Robots steal your Healthcare job?

Robots and artificial intelligence are becoming increasingly pervasive in most aspects of 21st-century life, including healthcare, medicine, and nursing. Fears abound that jobs are going to be lost to machines that can do our jobs 24/7 without needing to be paid or call out when the kids are home sick from school.

Are these fears well-founded or are we looking down the wrong tech rabbit hole?

A Digital Pink Slip?

Science fiction often depicts the coming of the robot army as the end of human civilization as we know it. We have deep-seated fears that we’ll be replaced by robots who can outperform us in every way. Some fears are warranted, but many predict that certain jobs simply can’t be appropriately performed by non-humans.

Watch almost any film featuring robots, and you’ll surmise that their evil plan is to send us to the unemployment line — or worse. From a violent takeover of the world to falling in love with a nonphysical AI, Hollywood foments fear to sell tickets.

When it comes to the tech-heavy future of healthcare, it’s not so simple, and we need to remain calm and go about our lives without looking over our shoulders for the robot who hands us a digital pink slip.

What’s the Healthcare Tech Reality?

The reality of healthcare technology in 2019 isn’t necessarily a robot revolution, but things are changing and some concern is understandable.

In Japan, robotics is highly popular; according to Reuters, nursing homes and other facilities offering care for the elderly employ numerous robotic technologies. A Japanese robot can lead exercise classes, and a furry robot seal offers comfort to the bed-bound. Japanese society is experiencing a massive shortage of young people, so turning to AI makes sense.

No Turning Back

There is no preventing the exponential growth of technology in most sectors, including healthcare. Some job losses seem certain, and winners and losers will emerge along the way.