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A SPECTRE is haunting workers—the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
有一種恐懼正縈繞員工的心頭——人工智能（AI）的興起。
The fear is that smart computer programs will eliminate millions of jobs,
他們擔心電腦小程序將會淘汰百萬種工作，
condemning a generation to minimum-wage drudgery or enforced idleness. Never mind the robots, fear the software.
迫使一代人干著低酬勞的苦差或是被迫成為無業游民。不要管機器人，要擔心一下軟件。
There is no need to be so gloomy, say Ken Goldberg of the University of California, Berkeley,
沒有必要如此悲觀，伯克利加利福尼亞大學的肯·戈德堡
and Vinod Kumar, the chief executive of Tata Communications, a unit of India's biggest business house (which stands to profit from the spread of AI).
以及印度最大商業公司塔塔通信（其興起得益于AI的傳播）的總裁溫諾德·庫馬說如是。
They have produced a report that is much more optimistic about the outlook for ordinary employees.
他們出具了一份報告，報告對普通員工的前景更加樂觀。
In many cases, it says, job satisfaction will be enhanced by the elimination of mundane tasks, giving people time to be more creative.
報告中寫到，在很多情況下，由于免除了簡單的工作，員工有更多的時間去創新，因此工作滿意度將得到提升。
Their views are backed up by a survey of 120 senior executives, conducted for the report,
他們的觀點得到了一份調查的支持，120名高級管理人員接受調查
which found that more of them (77%) thought that AI would create new roles
調查發現其中大部分人（77%）認為AI能夠創造出更多新的角色
than believed it would replace existing positions (57%; respondents could choose both options).
少部分人（57%）認為AI將會替代現有職位（被調查者可以兩個選項都選）。
Extra skills may be needed to cope with the new technology and more than half of the bosses are already taking steps to train their workforces.
處理新技術需要額外的技能，超過半數老板已經采取措施對他們的員工進行培訓。
Previous technology shifts have not had as negative effects on employment as was first feared.
早前的技術轉型對就業的負面影響并沒有他們所擔心的那么大。
The authors note some well-known examples. Bar-code scanners did not eliminate the role of cashiers in America;
本專欄作者注意到了一些眾所周知的案例。在美國，條線代碼掃描器并沒有取代收銀員的職位；
jobs in the retail industry grew at an annual rate of more than 2% between 1980 and 2013.
1980年到2013年間，零售業的工作崗位以每年超過2%的增長率增長。
The arrival of automated teller machines (ATMS) spared bank employees the job of doling out cash and freed them to offer financial advice to customers.
自動柜員機（ATMS）的到來接替了柜員發放現金的工作，讓他們有時間為客戶提供理財建議。
Some jobs could be made a lot easier by AI. One example is lorry-driving.
AI使一些工作變得更加輕松，其中之一就是卡車駕駛工作。
Some fear that truck drivers will be replaced by autonomous vehicles.
一些人擔心卡車司機會被自動汽車取代。
But manoeuvring a lorry around busy streets is far harder than driving down the motorway.
但是在繁忙的街道上操作一輛卡車要比在高速上行駛困難得多。
So the driver could switch into automatic mode (and get some rest) when outside the big cities,
所以當司機們在城市之外的地方行駛時，可以將卡車調成自動模式（可以休息一下），
and take over the wheel once again when nearing the destination.
當接近目的地時再接過方向盤。
The obvious analogy is with jetliners, where the pilots handle take-off and landing but turn on the computer to cruise at 35,000 feet.
這樣的方式和噴氣客機最為類似，飛行員負責飛機的起飛和降落，但是飛機飛到35000英尺的高空后，就啟動電腦巡航。
Using AI may prevent tired drivers from causing accidents.
使用AI或許可以防止因疲勞駕駛而導致的事故。
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