With our ever-advancing technology and rapidly revolutionizing industry, more and more jobs are being allocated to robots, leaving less and less for humans. Many scientists predict that the complete robot takeover will be within the next 100 years, with popular movies I, Robot, and The Terminator insinuating this debatable prognosis. However, this brings up the daunting question: will robots replace humans sometime in the near future?

The simple answer: yes and no. Yes, due to the fact that businesses are manufacturing high-tech robots that can efficiently and flawlessly complete their jobs, which emphasizes how humans are prone to mistakes while working, and perform their jobs in a much slower manner. And, no, since robots ultimately don’t have minds of their own and can behave unpredictably. English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking believes that the introduction of robots “could be the greatest event in the history of our civilization,” but also “the last.” Hawking brings up the countless risks of the dangers of superintelligence, “in which machines exceed the cognitive abilities of humans.”

On the other hand, on a more positive note, Hawking declares that the incorporation of artificial intelligence to our revolutionizing industry brings up the possibility of undoing “some of the damage to the natural world done by the last one, industrialization.”

The disputable decision possesses many benefits and risks, with each balancing each other out on the scale. Robots can perform their jobs in hazardous workspaces, which include tight spacing, toxic chemicals, and labor-intensive work, and prevent human incidents. Additionally, robotic surgery offers more precision, less pain and blood loss, and efficiency. Their ecological footprints are much smaller, which makes robots more cost-effective and productive than humans. Nevertheless, the robot takeover has obliterated a widespread variety of middle-class jobs, with a total loss of 5 million jobs since 2000. They lack empathy and emotion, and this reflects on their inability to successfully interact with humans, which highlights how hazardous they can be due to their limited, straightforward intelligence.

Artificial intelligence has sparked a huge debate in the scientific community, with uprising issues such as its pros and cons involving MIT, Google, and Stephen Hawking to speak out on its behalf. Though it may not seem like it, artificial intelligence is involved in our everyday lives, from Siri to self-driving cars, robots are increasing in number (and size and intelligence) rapidly. As of now, only time will tell whether or not robots are secretly planning their complete takeover of the world.