Will a robot take my job? | The Age of A.I
By Fred Sagwe Co-founder Robotics Society of Kenya
“Computers are able to see,hear and learn.Welcome to the future.”
Robotics
According to the World Economic Forum,more than 65% of students will work in jobs that don’t even exist today.We want to help prepare them for that future by getting them excited about what computer science (CS) can take them.With a focus on girls and others who are underrepresented in the field today.
Robotics and automation are dramatically reshaping the global economy.From delivering faster customer service to better quality products and efficient operations, robotics and automation provide enormous value for organizations that adopt them at scale.
“Robots and automation will take 800 million jobs by 2030.”-McKinsey.Using AI, the company hopes to teach the robot to copy human movements automatically, so that it can operate without a pilot.
From the initially reported outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in China to the spread of it across the globe, Medtech companies are rolling out robots and drones to help fight it and provide services and care to those quarantined or practicing social distancing. This pandemic has fast-tracked the “testing” of robots and drones in public as officials seek out the most expedient and safe way to grapple with the outbreak and limit contamination and spread of the virus. As one of the world’s most influential tech innovators and a country that had prioritized the advancement of robotics as a key component in its Made in China 2025 initiative, when COVID-19 broke out in China it became an ideal time to see what robots and drones could do to support humans in battling the virus.
Robotics Society of Kenya
92% of future jobs around the world will require digital skills.
ZDNet,2018
The Robotics Society of Kenya(RSK) shall endeavor to promote the robotics knowledge in our schools and communities at large.Especially in helping to strengthen the Science,Technology,Engineering,and Mathematics(STEM) initiatives in schools.
Our vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn Information and communication technology(ICT) in education and computing skills just like STEM education and create the next generation of computing for our schools.
To succeed in this mission RSK has set itself the following over reaching goal:create a community of individuals and organizations working together to address critical issues in robotics and computing education.
Anyone is very welcome to join Robotics Society of Kenya.You may be a principal,a school administrator,a professor,a student,or just someone interested in robotics community to help people learn…
Objectives:
a.)Engage with a community of passionate educators who bring all the benefits of technology to schools,classrooms and communities.
b.)To increase and enhance ICT in education and computing(strands of computer science,information technology,digital literacy,digital citizenship and computational thinking)integration in education skills.
c.)To be proactive in raising the profile of computer science,now that computer science is envisaged to be a STEM subject in the new Competency-Based Curriculum.
d.)To help in dissemination news,communication,sharing and collaboration across teacher professional networks locally and globally.
e.)To enhance and stimulate STEM and STEAM subject experiences.
To set up robotics clubs in every school in Kenya.
f.)To organize annual hackathons and jams for school learners throughout the republic.
g.)To amplify the theme of the future of work skills like:artificial intelligence,machine learning,robotics,drones,big data,IoT e.t.c
h.)To act as a tool for SDGs,actualizing and helping attain the global goals,especially the Sustainable Development Goals:SDG1,SDG2,SDG3,SDG4,SDG5,SDG8,SGD9,SDG16 and SDG17 respectively.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for the year 2030.The SDGs are part of the Resolution 70/1 of the United Nation General Assembly,the 2030 Agenda.
Every person has the potential to work on achieving these goals.Every Action,big and small,can have a trans formative impact in making the goals in reality.
i.)Empower every school to have a Raspberry Pi micro controller kits(small-single computers)in every school in the country,and to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people in Kenya.
j.)Robotics Society of Kenya (RSK)is on a mission of empowering kids,educators and communities in STEM.
Will Robotics Take My Job
The fear of losing jobs to computers is a common one among millions of people, and one that many have seen happen in their lifetime. But A.I. has the potential to allow many jobs to evolve, to become safer, more efficient and better for society as a whole.
According to Forbes,businesses used technology during COVID-19 and will continue to do so once we emerge from orders.That includes; the five mega trends including artificial intelligence (AI); robots, drones and vehicle automation; the as-a-service and cloud revolution; 5G network and extended reality that were important during COVID-19.
AI and automation will change the very nature of work. It’s really important that leaders don’t ignore this AI- and data-driven revolution.
Future of Jobs
Parents and teachers want students to develop problem-solving alongside digital skills so they will be better be prepared for future jobs.
According to the World Economic Forum treatise on the The Future of Jobs Report 2020,maps the jobs and skills of the future, tracking the pace of change. It aims to shed light on the pandemic-related disruptions in 2020, contextualized within a longer history of economic cycles and the expected outlook for technology adoption, jobs and skills in the next five years
A new Ipsos survey, conducted on behalf of the World Economic Forum, shows that more than half (54%) of working adults fear for their jobs in the next 12 months. However, these workers are outnumbered by those who think their employers will help them retrain on the current job for the jobs of the future (67%).
The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated trends towards automation and the use of artificial intelligence. Jobs will certainly go — but new ones that require different skills are emerging.
An earlier report by the World Economic Forum suggests that human capital is a crucial asset of any business. It highlights how in an age of ubiquitous technology, it is human skills, creativity and capability that will form the competitive edge for any organization. Financing and implementing a “reskilling revolution” is a critical investment for business, workers and economies alike.
Fourth Industrial Revolution
While interest in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, has spiked as a result of COVID-19, fewer than 9% of companies currently use advanced technologies such as machine learning, robotics or even touch screens. What do organizations need in order to accelerate the uptake of technology and how can they avoid the issues that arise from a lack of governance?
CEMASTEA enhancing teaching of Mathematics and Science in schools
The Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA) was established in 2004 to provide In-Service Education and Training (INSET) for mathematics and science teachers in Kenya and Africa.
The Centre was established to capitalise on the gains made under the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education (SMASSE) that began in 1998 as a pilot INSET project.
The mandate of CEMASTEA is continuous Teacher Professional Development (TPD) in Mathematics and Science Education (TPD-MSE). The vision of the centre is excellence in Teacher Professional Development in Africa and the Mission is to transform teaching by continuously developing competencies for effective curriculum delivery and improved quality of education.
SMASSE programmes have since 2001 been spread to other African countries under the auspices of the Strengthening of Mathematics and Science in Secondary Education in Western, Eastern, Central and Southern Africa (SMASSE-WECSA) which has since 2014 been expanded to SMASE Africa
STEM Model Schools
The STEM field is greatly promoted as a career path for students in recent years, and the demand for individuals specializing in STEM disciplines is expected to rise.
The CEMASTEA STEM Model Schools programme is in line with the Basic Education Curriculum Reform Framework (BECRF) by Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) which introduces science and technology as a learning area to enable learners to prepare for STEM pathway in subsequent levels of education cycle.
CEMASTEA has started supporting the schools as they develop across the levels. Through the programme, schools have been supplied with teaching and learning equipment such as robotics kit, laptops, cathode ray oscilloscopes, LCD projectors, digital cameras, white-boards, light microscopes, among others.
CEMASTEA is working with the Ministry of Education to have the number of STEM model schools increased.
Young people can elevate country to the next level
The President celebrated a team of over 800 youths, credited their involvement in delivery of National Wide Airborne Geophysical Survey.
“These young innovators not only delivered high quality of work, they also did so at a fraction of the set cost.”
The team of over 800 young men and women, drawn from across the Republic, have undertaken seminal programmes that include; the Geospatial Project, the Cyber Project, Drones and the National Security Industrial Project.
President Celebrates Two Former Students during Mashujaa
Mwaisakenyi and Ken Gicira, were celebrated for creating an automated weeding robot to help farmers eliminate the need for herbicides in their crops.
The robot uses artificial intelligence to discriminate between weeds and crops.
The president recognized efforts by Kenneth Gicira and Micheal Mwaisakenyi, among the young people he described as important drivers of the country’s development in matters innovation.
The two JKUAT Mechatronic Engineering alumni who graduated November last year (2019) were recognized for their Weeding Bot innovation.
While acknowledging the duo for their efforts, President Kenyatta said a good starting point for the young people is to look for a problem, solve it, and emerge as heroes and ‘makers of things’.
Among the three groups celebrated by the President during his Mashujaa Day speech, he said, “The second one is that of two engineering students from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). The two, Michael Mwaisakenyi and Ken Gicira, created an automated weeding robot to help farmers eliminate the need for herbicides in their crops.”
The President further said, with the examples of the National Security Programme, weeding robot and the smart glove, it is clear that Kenya has a pool of talented and gifted young people.
The innovation has a robotic arm for weeding in-between the crop row and a plough-like weeding tool that is dragged by the robot as it passes in between the rows of crops to remove inter-row weeds.
The recognition follows an earlier triumph that saw Gicira and Mwaisakenyi emerge winners of the One Hack-A-thon, an online global challenge beating over 40 teams from 20 different world countries.
Imagine Cup-Microsoft
Imagine Cup is an annual competition sponsored and hosted by Microsoft Corp. which brings together student developers worldwide to help resolve some of the world’s toughest challenges.It is considered as “Olympics of Technology” by computer science and engineering and is considered one of the top competitions and awards related to technology and software design. All Imagine Cup competitors create projects that address the Imagine Cup theme: “Imagine a world where technology helps solve the toughest problems”. Started in 2003, it has steadily grown in size, with more than 358,000 competitors representing 183 countries and regions in 2011. The Imagine Cup worldwide finals have been held all over the globe.
Raspberry Pi Foundation
The Raspberry Pi Foundation is a UK-based charity that works to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people all over the world. We do this so that more people are able to harness the power of computing and digital technologies for work, to solve problems that matter to them, and to express themselves creatively.
The Raspberry Pi is a series of small single-board computers developed in the United Kingdom by the Raspberry Pi Foundation.Early on, the Raspberry Pi project leaned towards the promotion of teaching basic computer science in schools and in developing countries.Later, the original model became far more popular than anticipated,selling outside its target market for uses such as robotics. It is now widely used in many areas, such as for weather monitoring,because of its low cost and high portability.
Raspberry Pi Jam
Raspberry pi jams are social events held all over the world where people who are interested in raspberry pi come together to share their knowledge and learn new things as well as meeting other pi fans. These events are generally graced by appearances from teachers, students, enthusiasts, developers and hobbyists. These events are held either personally or by organisations.
Raspberry Turk: a chess-playing robot
Computers and chess have been a potent combination ever since the appearance of the first chess-playing computers in the 1970s. You might even be able to play a game of chess on the device you are using to read this blog post! For digital makers, though, adding a Raspberry Pi into the mix can be the first step to building something a little more exciting.
A modern version of the Mechanical Turk was constructed in the 1980s. However, the build cost $120,000. At that price, it would have been impossible for most makers to create their own version. Impossible, that is, until now: Joey uses a Raspberry Pi 3 to drive the Raspberry Turk, while a Raspberry Pi Camera Module handles computer vision.
The Raspberry Turk is controlled by a daemon process that runs a perception/action sequence, and the status updates automatically as the pieces are moved. The code is written almost entirely in Python. It is all available on Joey’s GitHub repo for the project, together with his notebooks on the project.
The AI backend that gives the robot its chess-playing ability is currently Stockfish, a strong open-source chess engine. Joey says he would like to build his own engine when he has time. For the moment, though, he’s confident that this AI will prove a worthy opponent.
You can see the Raspberry Turk in action on Joey’s YouTube channel:
Computer Science
Computer science touches almost every aspect of our lives and offers great opportunity for impact. And yet, very few students take computer science courses while in high school.
Every student deserves the chance to explore,advance,and succeed in computer science.Practical computer science skills can help students learn and create and bring more relevance to newly any subject from history to literature to current affairs.
Teach programming in a standard alone computer science courses or integrate programming into other subjects areas.Include opportunities for students to engage in creative work in the classroom.
Artificial Intelligence
This exciting new industry is growing more than 42% annually and will reach a market size of $733 billion by 2027.In the future,all services and products by the time they reach the consumer have at least once encountered artificial intelligence.The growth and viability of the industry are obvious to everyone.
As a species, humanity has witnessed three previous industrial revolutions: first came steam/water power, followed by electricity, then computing. Now, we’re in the midst of a fourth industrial revolution, one driven by artificial intelligence and big data.
Artificial intelligence(AI) is the hot ticket in tech at the moment,and it’s related disciplines of Machine Learning(ML),Deep Learning(DL),neural networks and Data Science.
“Artificial intelligence is the new electricity”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one of the most trans-formative technology trends of our times,and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been part of computing since the 1950s. But it’s only been since 2000 that AI systems have been able to accomplish useful tasks like classifying images or understanding spoken language. And only very recently has Machine Learning advanced to a point such that significant AI computations can be performed on the smartphones and tablets available to students.
The artificial intelligence of today is invisible to most of us,yet it’s everywhere.From voice assistants on our phone and doorbells that recognize us,to sophisticated algorithms that learn our preferences and recommend videos and music to us,AI is increasingly partaking our online lives.
Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing work.It’s being used to automate important governmental and policy decisions,control the flow of information we receive,and reshape how we buy and consume products and service.
AI will revolutionize how people connect,communicate,live,and work.This in turn will create a massive potential for those who own it.
According to McKinsey “embracing AI promises considerable benefits for businesses and economies through its contributions to productivity and growth.”
AI is not something new.Over the years,it has made immense advancement in every field like healthcare,manufacturing,law,finance,retail,real estate,accountancy,digital marketing,and several other areas.Each one is computational and irrefutable from upcoming changes in the system.AI algorithms have proved dangerous in terms of skynet images,the matrix,robot Apocalypses and technological unemployment. A wide range of diverse AI patterns like autonomous systems,chat bots,document classification,advanced predictive analytical solutions have made human labor jobless.
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
-Confucius
It’s hard to read technology news these days without coming across a headline pointing to the game-changing potential of artificial intelligence(AI) and machine leaning solutions.And with good reason.After all,the use cases for AI are well-documented and individuals and businesses worldwide are eager to put the technology to work to solve numerous challenges and issues.
The Artificial intelligence of today is invisible to most of us,yet it’s everywhere.From voice assistants on our phone and doorbells that recognize us,to sophisticated algorithms that learn our preference and recommend videos and music to us,AI is increasingly partaking our online lives and Natural Language Processing.
As artificial intelligence increasingly affects our online lives.AI will revolutionize how people connects,communicate,live,and work.This,in turn,will create a massive potential for those who own it.
You have probably benefited thousands of times in a million small ways,for the artificial intelligence built into your smartphone.
Artificial intelligence isn’t just changing work.It’s being used to automate important governmental and policy decisions,control the flow of information we receive,and reshape how we buy and consume products and services.
Artificial Intelligence in Education
“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically.Intelligence plus character-that is the goal of true education.”
-Dr.Martin Luther King
It’s more important than ever that schools not lose sight of a basic truth:Public education has always ,been about creating good citizens,not just training new workers.
“As AI is more widely deployed,students need the ability to think critically about how decisions are made,”.”That means understanding statics,mathematics,and algorithms.”
“Help students think critically about new ways decisions are made.”
-Osonde Osoba-Engineer and researcher,RAND Corp
According to UNESCO,Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been on the radars of the education agenda since some time. AI applications have promised to spark innovation in education and to make it more personalized and thus more effective. It seems however that AI was not yet implemented at scale in the current crisis.
That’s why it’s so important that schools help expand the universe of people building,researching,and making policy around AI,and the best way to make this happening is by moving computer-science education beyond discussions of technology and programming techniques.
AI could study your brain to help teachers improve their courses
AI helps teachers improve their courses by examining your brain,Dartmouth College researchers have developed a machine learning algorithm that measures activity in your brain to determine how well you understand a given concept.
The algorithm generate “neural scores” that could predict a student’s performance.Certain parts of the brain lit up,the easier it was for a student to grasp a concept.
In the future,this could help teachers refine their classes by identify technique,that resonates with most students.
“Focus on applying artificial intelligence to human and social problems.”When you teach kids to program robots that mimic self-driving cars,ask what the impact could be for an aging population.”
AlphaZero
“Games may have the potential to provide students with a mathematically focused activities while engaging them through a perception of them.”
-Liecha Bragg
AlphaZero is a computer program developed by artificial intelligence research company DeepMind to master the games of chess, shogi and go. This algorithm uses an approach similar to AlphaGo Zero.
I can’t disguise my satisfaction that it plays with a very dynamic style, much like my own!”
-Garry Kasparov ,Former World Chess Champion
Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
According to Wikipedia The ethics of artificial intelligence is the part of the ethics of technology specific to robots and other artificially intelligent entities.It can be divided into a concern with the moral behavior of humans as they design, construct, use and treat artificially intelligent beings, and machine ethics, which is concerned with the moral behavior of artificial moral agents (AMAs). It also includes the issues of singularity and superintelligence.
Tech giants such as Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, IBM and Microsoft — as well as individuals like Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk — believe that now is the right time to talk about the nearly boundless landscape of artificial intelligence. In many ways, this is just as much a new frontier for ethics and risk assessment as it is for emerging technology.
Machine Learning
Machine learning system is adaptive and attempts to simulate human intelligence.There is still a layer of underlying rules,but instead of a human writing a fixed set,the machine has the ability to learn new rules on its own,and discard one’s that aren’t working anymore.
Machine learning holds a great promise for advancing health,agriculture,scientific discovery,and more.The first image of a black hole was produced using machine learning.The most accurate predictions of protein structures,an important step for drug discovery,are made using machine learning.
In practice,there are several ways a machine can learn,but supervised training,when the machine is given data to train on-is generally the first step in machine learning program.Eventually,the machine will be able to interpret,categorize and perform other tasks with unlabeled data or unknown information on its own.
Computers and machines don’t come into this world with inherent knowledge or an understanding of how things work.Like humans,they need to be taught that a red light means stop and green means go.So,how do these machine actually gain the intelligence they need to carry out tasks like driving a car or diagnosing a disease.
It already curates your internet experience.Trained neural networks are doing everything from moderating social networks to driving cars.The field has moved forward incredibly quickly in recent years as processing power has improved.The potential for machine learning is vast,and not even close to fulfillment.
When you browse through Spotify or Netflix or Amazon’s Kindle Store,machine learning algorithms are watching you.It’s their job-they need the information to give you recommendation,a piece of machine learning technologies so ubiquitous that you may never have thought about it.
It’s every-where-in all likelihoods of the media you consume over the last few years has been selected for you by these algorithms.
It’s a way for a machine to analyze data and output determinants or predictions based on the given data.It’s basically a way to give a machine a brain of its own.With more experience(data),the brain (model)gets better at producing results.
Machine learning is a method of data analysis that automates analytical model building. It is a branch of artificial intelligence based on the idea that systems can learn from data, identify patterns and make decisions with minimal human intervention.
In practice there are several ways a machine can learn,but supervised training,when the machine is given data to train on-is generally the first step in machine learning program.Eventually the machine will be able to interpret,categorize and perform other tasks with unlabeled data or unknown information on its own.
Data Science
Data Science has gone from a newly coined term in 2017 to being one of the most sought-after disciplines in the professional world.
Data Science combines statics,computer science,mathematics,and data analysis to bring order to the massive amounts of unruly data,are now collected by thousands of companies.Emerging technologies revolve around data,data science can change the economy.
The demand for skilled data science practitioners in industry,academia,and government is rapidly growing.Data science and data analytics jobs will be among the most sought after,high paying careers in Kenya with unfolding technologies in different sectors of the economy using data,new business models will unfold thus breaking the gap between development and developing countries.
A call for Data Science for kids curriculum,to help them prepare for the future of work.
Final Thoughts
Robotics Society of Kenya,is striving with an higher aim of engaging with a community of passionate educators who bring the benefits of technology to schools, classrooms,and communities in Kenya and beyond.
Further Reading:
[1.] Will robots steal our jobs? — The future of work (1/2) | DW Documentary ( https://youtu.be/6IOH7b68byk )
[2.] Intro to machine learning on Google Cloud Platform (Google I/O ‘18)( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVz9jKE_9iU )
[3.] 6 Future Trends Everyone Has To Be Ready For Today( https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/10/19/6-future-trends-everyone-has-to-be-ready-for-today/#7d1ce18f49e1 )
[4.]How this Canadian start-up spotted coronavirus before everyone else knew about it ( https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/03/bluedot-used-artificial-intelligence-to-predict-coronavirus-spread.html )
[5.] Raspberry Turk (http://www.raspberryturk.com/ )
[6.] “What do robots think about climate change & sustainability?” ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSiIlVM_l6Q )
[7.] CES 2019: AI robot Sophia goes deep at Q&A ( https://youtu.be/T4q0WS0gxRY )
[8.] What is STEM Education ( https://www.livescience.com/43296-what-is-stem-education.html#:~:text=STEM%20is%20a%20curriculum%20based,an%20interdisciplinary%20and%20applied%20approach. )
[9.]Artificial Intelligence, the History and Future — with Chris Bishop ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FHBh_OmdsM )
[10.] Artificial intelligence and its ethics | DW Documentary ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izd2qOgOGQI )
[11.] Google’s Deep Mind Explained! — Self Learning A.I ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnUYcTuZJpM&feature=youtu.be )
[12.] In the Age of AI (full film) | FRONTLINE ( https://youtu.be/5dZ_lvDgevk )
Note:
To help spread the good news about Robotics Society of Kenya.You can join Robotics Society of Kenya:
Google Group and Email.
follow on Twitter ,Facebook,Instagram,Linkedin,.Subscribe to the Robotics Society of Kenya YouTube channel,Twitch and visit our site.
Over to you
Thank you for reading.It has been great fun to dive into Robotics Society of Kenya: Empower every school to have a Raspberry Pi micro controller kits(small-single computers)in every school in the country,and to put the power of computing and digital making into the hands of people in Kenya..
And hope you picked one or two tips from this post.
I’d love to hear from you and learn from your experience and reflections in the comments section below.
