Emergence and Impacts of Internet of Things and Mass Automation (Dissertation Sample)

THE EMERGENCE AND IMPACTS OF “INTERNET OF THINGS” AND MASS AUTOMATION: WILL ROBOTS TAKE ALL THE JOBS?
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The emergence and impacts of “internet of things” and mass automation: will robots take all the jobs?
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION PAGEREF _Toc23932537 \h 71.1: Background to AI, Intelligent Things, and Robotics PAGEREF _Toc23932538 \h 71.2: Research problem PAGEREF _Toc23932539 \h 81.3: Purpose of the research PAGEREF _Toc23932540 \h 91.4: Research Aims and objectives PAGEREF _Toc23932541 \h 91.4.1 Research Aims PAGEREF _Toc23932542 \h 101.4.2 Research Objectives PAGEREF _Toc23932543 \h 101.4.3: Research Questions PAGEREF _Toc23932544 \h 101.5: Project Summary and scope PAGEREF _Toc23932545 \h 111.6: Research Structure PAGEREF _Toc23932546 \h 111.7: Significance of the Study PAGEREF _Toc23932547 \h 12CHAPTER 2: CRITICAL REVIEW OF ACADEMIC LITERATURE PAGEREF _Toc23932548 \h 132.1: General Review of Literature PAGEREF _Toc23932549 \h 132.2: Theoretical Foundation PAGEREF _Toc23932550 \h 152.3: AI (artificial intelligence) and Intelligent Things impact on modern society PAGEREF _Toc23932551 \h 152.4: development of robotics from AI and Intelligent Things effect on humans and industry? PAGEREF _Toc23932552 \h 202.5: Mass Automation and Robotics Replace of Humans in Various Sectors PAGEREF _Toc23932553 \h 212.6: Definition of Terms PAGEREF _Toc23932554 \h 24CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY PAGEREF _Toc23932555 \h 263.0: Introduction PAGEREF _Toc23932556 \h 263.1: Conceptual Framework PAGEREF _Toc23932557 \h 263.2: Research Philosophy and Strategy PAGEREF _Toc23932558 \h 273.3: Study Design PAGEREF _Toc23932559 \h 273.4: Study Population and Sampling Procedure PAGEREF _Toc23932560 \h 283.5: Data Collection Methods PAGEREF _Toc23932561 \h 293.6: Variables of Research PAGEREF _Toc23932562 \h 303.7: Data Analysis PAGEREF _Toc23932563 \h 313.8: Research Reliability and Validity PAGEREF _Toc23932564 \h 313.9: Ethical Considerations PAGEREF _Toc23932565 \h 32CHAPTER 4: DISCUSSION PAGEREF _Toc23932566 \h 334.1: Economic Effect of Mass Automation PAGEREF _Toc23932567 \h 334.2: Effects of robotics from AI and Intelligent Things on humans at homes and industry PAGEREF _Toc23932568 \h 424.3: Mass automation and robotics replace of humans in various sectors PAGEREF _Toc23932569 \h 44CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION AND CONTRIBUTION PAGEREF _Toc23932570 \h 485.1: Limitations and Recommendations of the Study PAGEREF _Toc23932571 \h 485.2: Implication of the Study PAGEREF _Toc23932572 \h 485.3: Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc23932573 \h 49REFERENCES PAGEREF _Toc23932574 \h 51
Acknowledgement
To making the project a reality I would greatly thank all by team mates, the university lecturers and most especially my supervisors for the great support they offered. Finding data was with the help of my lecturer who I greatly salute. I also than my family members for the support and the almighty God for making all this happen.
Abstract
AI has advanced in the recent past actualized by the rise in globalization and high population growth. Mass automation resulting from advancement in the technological would has led to development of internet of things which has led to efficiency in operations. However, there has been heated debates on whether the advancements would lead to extinction of human which lead to initiation of the current report that had its main goal as assessing the emergence and impacts of “internet of things” and mass automation specifically looking at whether robots will take all the jobs?
The study made use of case study analysis to achieve this objective where sampling was multistage and data collection using the desk review format was undertaken for about 2 weeks. The results were compiled and the major findings reported included that mass automation has an effect on the economic system especially in the criminal, automation, and transport sector. It also has an effect on employment and people at home especially due to the high efficiency. It was reported that the automated robots have an adaptive capacity which has made them more efficient. However, the study revealed that complete substitution is not possible and humans are more superior and hence could control the way robots are used to create more opportunities. Therefore it was concluded that mass automation is all good to economic development but human capacity is highly required to govern its limits.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1: Background to AI, Intelligent Things, and Robotics
First coined at the Dartmouth Conference of 1956, the term “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) has evolved since then in meaning but remained an important aspect in the development of technological inventions that have greatly changed the world and human experiences (Winograd, 2013). By definition, Artificial Intelligence refers to the intelligence demonstrated by machines in contrast to the humans and animal natural intelligence (Hutter, 2015). Artificial Intelligence research aims at studying “intelligent agents” or the devises that perceive their environments and respond by taking an action that improves its ability to achieve its objectives and goals for which it was designed (Brooks, 1986). Since the term AI was coined, it has been applied in computer science and technology to mean the ability of machines to assume the intellectual characteristics or functions of humans such as problem-solving and learning (Newall & Simon, 2012). As the 20th century progressed, computer science and technological developments led to the perception that AI was mainly to be achieved through computers and allied devices and technologies, including the internet technology that started in mid 1980s and early 1990s (Hutter, 2015). Since then, such other terms as Intelligent Things and Internet of Things have been incorporated in the realm to express the progressive pattern in which machAines are performing tasks by mimicking humans as autonomous or semi-autonomous entities (Arntz, Gregory, Lehmer, Matthes, & Zierahn, 2017). Specifically, the term Intelligent Things refers to the everyday objects that mimic human intelligence and incorporate autonomous technology which they use to respond to the real world conditions automatically and perform functions that could only be performed by humans, including such objects as automatic doors that automatically detect the authorized person’s face, manner of walking, or pupil size or farm robots that automatically plant, water, spray, harvest, and process products in farms based on their ability to determine the nature of the crops and so on (Berg, Buffie, & Zanna, 2016). In factories, for instance, production systems have been developed with both AI and Intelligent Things where the Internet of Things plays an important role in interconnecting robots such that the production process is largely done automatically with little human input (Poniszewska-Maranda & Kaczmarek, 2015).
1.2: Research Problem
Nevertheless, since 1960s when automation of machines began, there have been controversies and debates on the future of humans in a world where most of the work will be performed by machines that mimic humans (Freeman, 2015). In particular, it has been argued that the future will be shaped by negative impacts of AI and Intelligent Things due to such phenomena as loss of jobs due to automation of work in industries, loss of the desire to learn because machines do the work, possible halting of the systems or errors due to failures, loss of human integrity, deterioration of human health due to sedentary life where machines do all the work and others (West, 2015). Despite these arguments, AI and the Intelligent Things are playing an important role in various sectors of the society by improving how processes are carried out, accuracy and efficiency of work, and above all, the quality of human life (West, 2015; Russell & Norvig, 2016).
The intelligent things have been used by human though despite the high affiliation, most firms have resulted to their use laying off workers. A review by Duffy & Joue (2000) estimated the future of human beings and found that if care is not taken, unemployment may raise by 30% in year 2050. However, contrary to the opinion, Russell & Norvig (2016) hypothesis of increased innovations and thus opening the economy to more work could lead to increased employment level. Similarly, Hall (2001) using the production theory argued that factors of production can be substituted for each other and each substitution element does not lead to lower efficiency. Therefore, the theory of job loss was vague.
However, there exists scanty information on the knowledge and understanding of whether mass automation of activities in the industry and homes as a result of increased innovation through AI will lead to massive loss of jobs, especially as robots continue to take the work previously done by humans. Therefore the current analysis will seek to fill this gap by evaluating+ the extent to which robots would substitute human labor.
1.3: Purpose of the Research
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