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and have
2 R
not
Advances in technology/over the past 200 years have been remarkable
ght us many benefits/However, the integration of technology Into society has
always been smooth/ The first industrial revolution began in Britain in the late 18th
century/Machines developed at the time/could make clothes much more
efficiently
(1)
14
easily and cheaply than before. Even so not everyone felt happy about this at first.
Groups of skilled weavers and textile machine operators known as Luddites feared
労働運動
that their jobs would be taken away/They began/a labor movem
ement in order to protest
and resist the widespread use of the new technology by factory owners. Their protest
actions included destroying machines
crimes for which some Luddites were killed
by authorities.
ようたい
CO
↑
To Cut 27.
減速する
we now know these technological advances did not/slow down. Over time,
they became widely accepted and appreciated. Before long, other innovations like the
steam engine were powering heavy machinery across Europe and beyond. The second
industrial revolution, toward the end of the 1800s, brought the gasoline engine and the
s use of electricity. The third industrial revolution, in the late 20th century, produced
computers as well as digital technologies and communications. And, recently, experts
have declared that developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced robotics
have led us into the fourth industrial revolution.
Even today, however, we hear warnings about the potentially harmful effects of
(2)
contemporary technologies. Some observers claim that the latest AI inventions could
have negative impacts on workers, businesses, and society as a whole. The main
concern, as in past eras, is that machines will replace humans in the workplace. Thes-
observers suggest that a large number of occupations might be lost to AI and robot
in the next few years. Taxi and truck drivers, cleaners, and factory workers are amon
those considered to be at risk.
The fear is even expressed that the AI revolution might lead to mass unemploymen
According to some experts, up to 800 million jobs could be lost globally by 203
Moreover, the workers who will lose their jobs to machines are likely to be those wit
ewer skills and less education, increasing the gap between rich and poor. Some peop
believe that this will create social conflict and instability.
do not necessarily need to take such a negative outl
