Humans Need Not Apply

Humans Need Not Apply

Thumbnail of Humans Need Not Apply
Produced by CGP Grey
Release dates
  • August 13, 2014 (2014-08-13)
Running time
 15 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English

Humans Need Not Apply is a 2014 short Internet documentary film, directed, produced, written, and edited by CGP Grey. The film focuses on the future of the integration of automation into economics, as well as the impact of this integration to the worldwide workforce. Grey released the film online as a YouTube video.

Premise

Lexus RX 450h with attachment on top and Google logo on side
A Lexus RX 450h retrofitted as a self-driving car by Google

The film focuses on the topic of robots' rapidly increasing usefulness through human society, discussing how automation will lead to a future where human labour is no longer required. The film's title is a play on Irish need not apply, a phrase said to be used on job postings in the 19th century.

Early on, Grey makes an analogy describing how humans once displaced horses from their jobs (by creating mechanical muscles such as automobiles), dismissing the argument that humans will always find new work, seeing as horses are not nearly as much used now. Grey finishes the analogy by connecting the creation of mechanical minds, or "brain labor", will lead to robots ousting humans out of their occupations.[1] Grey also discusses how economics is the force behind a future based upon automation.[2] Grey concludes by stating that 45% of the workforce could be replaced by bots, a figure which is inclusive of professional, white-collar, and low-skill occupations, and higher than the 25% unemployment figure of the Great Depression.[3][4] Grey further states that even creative occupations are not secure, mentioning the included bot-composed music in the background of his video.

Additionally, Grey reminds the viewer that he is not discussing or portraying a future based upon science fiction, using examples such as Baxter, self-driving cars (referred to as autos in the film) and IBM's Watson.[3][5]

Production and funding

The film was funded through Subbable, a crowdfunding website. Grey used to use this website as a means to support his projects, before moving to Subbable's successor Patreon.[6]

Reception

Humans Need Not Apply was covered by several publications, including Business Insider, The Huffington Post, and Forbes.[4][7][8] Coverage of the video complimented its presentation, calling the video "well-produced".[5] These publications also praised its premise, calling it "thought-provoking", and "compelling", but also maintaining that the points and topics brought up in the video were "terrifying".[1][9] Bruce Kasanoff of Forbes commented that the video was "sobering," and "suggests, in a convincing fashion, that many human jobs will disappear over the coming years, because automation will do them faster, better, and cheaper."[8] After a few days of release, the video reached one million views.[1] As of September 2016, Humans Need Not Apply has reached over 7 million views.[10]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Pagano, Margareta (August 17, 2014). "Humans need not apply: The future of jobs is robot-shaped". The Independent. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  2. ↑ Griswold, Alison (August 15, 2014). "Why the Future of Work Is Doomed, in One Video". Moneybox. Slate. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  3. 1 2 Strange, Adario (August 19, 2014). "Scary Smart Video Predicts Automation Will Make Human Work Obsolete". Mashable. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  4. 1 2 Love, Dylan (August 13, 2014). "Not Even Doctors And Lawyers Are Safe From Machines Taking Their Jobs". Business Insider. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  5. 1 2 Ford, Martin (August 20, 2014). "The Robots Are Coming and 'Humans Need Not Apply'". Huffington Post. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  6. ↑ Grey, CGP (August 18, 2014). "CGP Grey Crowdfunding, Year 2". CGP Grey. YouTube. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Why Robots Will Steal Your Job, In One 15 Minute Video". Huffington Post UK. August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  8. 1 2 Kasanoff, Bruce (August 18, 2014). "If 'Humans Need Not Apply,' Will All Our Jobs Disappear?". Forbes. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  9. ↑ Roggeveen, Sam (August 18, 2014). "Humans need not apply: An economic horror movie". The Interpreter. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
  10. ↑ CGP Grey (2014-08-13), Humans Need Not Apply, retrieved 2016-09-01
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