However, no matter how many leaps and bounds technology makes, there are some jobs that simply cannot be replaced by a computer or robot.
Some jobs will always need the human touch. So, what are some of those jobs?
Advances in computer technology can certainly help healthcare practitioners in how they administer care to patients, but it can’t replace healthcare workers.
Think for example of a surgeon. Such delicate, close work really needs a human touch. It’s not just technical skill either; surgeons need to adapt to changing circumstances and make quick decisions that will have a long term impact on their patients.
Another aspect of healthcare that computers simply cannot replace is a good bedside manner. Sick patients really need the human touch to offer care, connection, a kind face and a gentle word.
Architects and Designers
The article “5 Reasons Why Computers Can’t Replace Architects” sums things up succinctly: Computers can’t think creatively. Architects and designers of all kinds rely on their creativity to be the best at their jobs.
Another thing computers can’t replicate is taste. Architects and designers need to understand their clients and their client’s taste. A machine is no match for good taste.
Have you ever tried to use a computer based translator? The chances are you’ll have been offered some entertaining, but ultimately unintelligible English.
Good translation requires so much more than knowing the equivalent for a word in another language.
Translators need to understand not only the language, but the context, the culture, and the readers or listeners.
Public Relations and Marketing Professionals
Public relations and marketing both rely on something computers cannot replicate: A true understanding of their audience.
From talking to the media to marketing a wonderful new products, some roles require empathy, understanding and psychological smarts that a computer can’t grasp.
The ability to get into the customer’s mindset and speak to them on their level needs human creativity and social intelligence.
CEOs and Managers
Computers can be used to automate many aspects of office life, from payroll to training, but they can never truly replace CEOs and managers.
Management requires a range of people skills, from negotiation to knowing how to bring out the best in a team.
Whether they are motivating their employees, dreaming up creative solutions to problems, or deciding on the future of the company, managers rely on their experience, knowledge and instinct to make the best decisions.
Managers also need the right kind of personality – passionate, determined, creative and dedicated. All these traits would be hard to find in a computer.
Technology is getting more and more prevalent in the classroom, leading to some people asking if computers could ever replace teachers?
Perhaps computers could be used to give children things to learn, and test their progress, but computers can never replace good teachers.
A teacher does much more than impart knowledge.
Teachers need to know how to motivate their students to learn, how to cultivate a culture of excellence, and how to help each individual student make educational choices now that will have a positive impact on their future.
Technology is a useful tool, but a computer can’t empathize with people, show good taste, or use its creativity.
There’s a lot technology can do to revolutionize these particular jobs, but it can never replace the human touch.
About the Author: Tristan Anwyn writes on a variety of topics including social media, SEO that works, and the role of technology in the workplace.