Page 15 - Scholarship Guide Aug 2020

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ust three years ago, our National Day Parade In Singapore alone, we are already witnessing
took a unique spin to its usual festivities with how robots and smart machines are replacing
its showcase of a cluster of up to 300 drones. some of our eons-old tasks. There are cur-
Coming together in perfect synchrony, these rently some restaurants and hawker centres
intelligent machines lit up the starless night who have traded traditional cleaning “aun-
sky with breathtaking imagery, leaving our na- ties/uncles” with the deployment of robots to
tion in awe. As Singapore continues to move serve food and clear dirty trays. The novelty of
towards its goal as a ‘smart nation’, we see this has garnered a positive reaction from the
automation, robotics and Artifi cial Intelligence crowd. However, there are still many who are
!
(AI) infi ltrate a vast number of industries and sceptical and apprehensive about engaging
practices. While many do enjoy the benefi ts with machines in contrast to a fellow human
these bring, the rise of automation and smart being.
machines are accompanied by a common fear
that robots may eventually replace humans According to a Forbes article, the use of AI has
causing an economic and social divide where birthed a plethora of intelligent machinery and
jobs are concerned. Smart systems are often systems providing increasing business pros-
viewed as a threat rather than a tool to increase pects for stakeholders which include (but are
accuracy and productivity in our everyday life. not limited to), new business models and new
Will machines kill jobs or create new ones for value propositions. Research conducted by
Man? In this article, we will explore some of the Ernst and Young states that, “organisations en-
pros and cons of this ongoing argument. abling AI at the enterprise level are increasing
operational effi ciency, making faster, more in-