Question: Are you worried that robots and computer will decrease the need for humans working?

David Corne answered on 17 Jun 2011:

Yes, that worries me quite a lot. The thing is, advances in computing and robotics create some types of jobs and decrease the need for others. Imagine when computers completely replace humans for security screening in airports. So, maybe then 5,000 security screeners are no longer needed – but thsi will make airports more busy and flights cheaper, because they save money and speed up screening – so there will be more shops at airports, more people employed making airline food, more travel agencies, more people employed by the airlines, and also of course people making and installing the automatic screening stuff, maintaining and fixing it, advertising it, and so on. Another kind of thing that happens is that when computers take over in something and jobs are lost, quite a lot of people therefore have more leisure time, and more and more jobs become available in shops, restaurants, cinemas, clubs, leisure centres, game companies, and so on. The world is complex! Anyway, this *does* worry me.