Andrew Yang recently announced that he was suspending his presidential campaign. Yang was best known as a pioneer for a universal basic income (UBI). Yang and many other UBI proponents argued that a UBI will become essential as automation drives unemployment. They may have a valid point as big data and DevOps technology spur a new industrial revolution.
Will UBI become necessary as big data and new DevOps tools play a more important part in our economy? If this is the case, how long will we need to wait before this policy is instituted?
Big data is driving automation through a new technological renaissance
In 2016, Bernard Marr from Forbes wrote a detailed article about the threat of big data to employment. Marr listed 10 jobs that are at risk of being eliminated by advances in big data. Some of the jobs that were listed were rather surprising, such as physicians, journalists and insurance actuaries.
How is big data able to render these careers obsolete? The context is obviously different for every job, but some examples of automation driven by DevOps technology are listed below:
- Doctors have become increasingly dependent on big data to deliver high-quality services to their patients. Big data has not just helped them streamline the diagnoses. They are also using complicated AI tools to perform invasive surgeries. Artificial intelligence has allowed them to perform procedures more safely and reliably. In the future, robots might be able to perform surgeries on their own without a doctor participating.
- Machine learning technology has helped journalists create articles without having to write them on their own. They can syndicate data on a variety of subjects, such as financial markets or sports. Artificial intelligence algorithms are able to parse this data into a unique, well-written article.
- Predictive analytics tools are becoming more effective in the financial industry. They can make risk scoring calculations better than the majority of actuaries. Actuaries still have a role in data input, but fewer of them will be needed as machine learning becomes more prominent in their field. Some actuaries that I spoke with are concerned about getting displaced after spending years working on earning their credentials.
- Big data scientists could be put out of work by their own creations. They are creating platforms that can make code on their own, which is streamlining the development process.
These trends in big data automation are being accelerated by new advances in DevOps technology. A number of new DevOps tools are enabling developers to extract data more easily and leverage its benefits.
What DevOps platforms are helping drive the automation revolution? Docker is one of the biggest examples. This platform has a number of continuous integration and continuous learning features, which means that developers can keep creating new applications and ensuring that they improve on themselves. JFrog is another DevOps platform that is driving automation. It has a number of automation features.
UBI could solve the potential unemployment crisis that big data and DevOps technology might be creating
People around the world have mixed feelings about the big data automation revolution. New DevOps technology and other artificial intelligence advances are making our lives easier in many ways. This new technology has removed a lot of the more monotonous aspects of our work and enabled people to get projects done more quickly. Many people are currently celebrating the extra downtime they have at work, as automation lets them get things done more quickly.
However, big data is a double-edged sword as far as automation goes. The same technology that is helping people get work done more quickly and saving countless headaches could also put them out of work altogether. This could create a serious unemployment crisis.
This is one of the reasons that a universal basic income could be necessary in the future. Many people might be displaced in the future. The policy that Andrew Yang proposed could keep them from experiencing crippling poverty.