Leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has criticised the idea that people are replaceable with computers. He also wants to introduce a tax system that puts a tax on any software that could replace a job done by a person.

Corbyn would like to use the money made from a taxing scheme (robot tax) to create a fund to retrain staff who lose their jobs because of new technology. Quoting what he said – “We should all get the benefits from greedy global corporations such as Amazon which have made a great deal of money out of incredibly advanced technology”. Corbyn also went on to blame capitalism for the corporation’s greed when it comes to cheaper labour but, according to Corbyn, the Labour Party ‘has no real plan’ to counter the ‘corporate greed’. He also went on to say that the government should be able to control all the decisions businesses make. Corbyn has been backed by the world banks, saying that if all the jobs are taken then people would make no money – therefore there will be no money to invest into the banks.

The question remains whether it is wise to replace working humans with software that can do as good a, or better, job. The truth is that it is a good idea, but to an extent. There are many jobs around the world that are growing in number which cannot be preformed by a computer – doctors, lawyers, builders, journalists and paramedics are good examples where a human mind is needed to perform the job role. If software did take over the workforce (at the ability it has now) it would take up approximately 33% of the workforce in the western world. With the new demand for new jobs, new businesses will open so when automation becomes a larger part of the world then there will be brand new positions made by brand new businesses. New markets could open altogether!

There is always the moral issue of replacing a human being with a robot. A human needs a wage in order for them to eat, pay rent and provide for their families. However a robot or a computer could do the same job for no annual cost, saving the corporate companies millions so they can keep the shareholders happy. Sadly, the employee who is replaced by a machine or software may struggle to provide for their family until they can find a new job. It may not always be as simple just to ‘find another job’ when the employee may be trained specifically in a certain area but that area of work doesn’t exist anymore due to a takeover by automation software.