One of the biggest anxieties about the so-called impending robot revolution is the threat they pose to human jobs. As artificial intelligence, robots and autonomous machines become more ubiquitous in our lives, this underlying insecurity should be addressed.

Today, in The Conversation Canada, Joshua Marshall from Queen’s University points out that although Canada has an AI strategy, it doesn’t have a robotics strategy. Marshall writes that contrary to popular belief, companies that use robot labour have actually hired more humans in new and emerging roles. The government should implement an approach that combines education and research to ensure this transition in the workforce is supported.

Also today:

Regards,

Nehal El-Hadi

Science + Technology Editor
The future of automated labour may not spell the end of human employment. (Shutterstock)

The robot revolution is here: How it’s changing jobs and businesses in Canada

Joshua A. Marshall, Queen's University, Ontario

As the use of robots and autonomous machines increases across industries, governments need to have a strategy in place. The labour force will transition out of automated tasks into new jobs.
Nearly five million homes and businesses lost power in Texas on Feb. 15, and millions remained without power throughout the week. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Texas electricity grid failure shows how microgrids offer hope for a better future

Michael D. Mehta, Thompson Rivers University

The weather-related impacts of climate change will increasingly threaten critical infrastructure in the future. Shifting electricity grids towards microgrids could help.
Students often carry the bulk of the burden to combat systemic racism on campus. (GoToVan/Flickr)

Canadian universities: 10 years of anti-racist reports but little action

Natalie Delia Deckard, University of Windsor; Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Windsor; Jane Ku, University of Windsor

Given this evidence of historical anti-racist work at universities, administrators can no longer claim to lack the knowledge of what needs to be done.
Two people walk their bicycles along a flooded street on the waterfront of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., as Hurricane Irma passes through on Sept. 10, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson

Why a net-zero future depends on the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon

Anya M. Waite, Dalhousie University; Brad deYoung, Memorial University of Newfoundland; Chris Milley, Dalhousie University; Ian G. Stewart, University of King's College

Economic recovery and carbon neutrality are linked. Both depend on the ocean's ability to continue to regulate climate.
In this July 2020 photo, former president Donald Trump stands at the Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

What’s an ex-president to do? Trump and the post-White House lives of his predecessors

Ronald W. Pruessen, University of Toronto

As Donald Trump prepares to address the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, here's how other former presidents have occupied their time after leaving the White House.

La Conversation Canada
Les AVC ischémiques sont causés par une interruption du flux sanguin au cerveau. VSRao de Pixabay

Un nouveau traitement pour les victimes d’AVC permettrait de diminuer les séquelles

Ahlem Zaghmi, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS); Marc A Gauthier, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)

Un nouveau traitement pourrait permettre de préserver les capacités motrices des patients qui ont subi un AVC. Il pourrait changer les stratégies médicales pour d’autres maladies neurodégénératives.
Lors d'une pandémie, les vaccins sont très attendus et tout problème de pénurie menace la chaîne d'approvisionnement. Shutterstock

Une autre pénurie de vaccin, contre la polio en 1959, a conduit à un vol spectaculaire de doses à Laval

Paula Larsson, University of Oxford

En 1959, trois hommes armés ont fait irruption à l'Institut de microbiologie de l'Université de Montréal et ont dérobé 75 000 flacons d'un vaccin contre la polio. Avons-nous appris de cet événement ?

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    Samantha Carlson, Telethon Kids Institute; Christopher Blyth, University of Western Australia; Lucy Deng, University of Sydney; Margie Danchin, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Nicholas Wood, University of Sydney

    Years of vaccine research tells us that, if side effects are going to occur, they normally occur within the first months after getting a vaccine.