[...] Not only does Japan have an economic need and the technological know-how for robots, but it also has a cultural predisposition. The ancient Shinto religion, practiced by 80 percent of Japanese, includes a belief of animism, which holds that both objects and human beings have spirits. As a result, Japanese culture tends to be more accepting of robot companions as actual companions than is Western culture, which views robots as soulless machines. [...]

[...] As Sebastian Thrun explained in a TED talk, his best friend was killed in a car accident, spurring his personal crusade to innovate the car accident out of existence: "I decided I'd dedicate my life to saving 1 million people every year."

[...] With the pressure on insurance companies and health care providers to lower costs, I worry that there will be market forces pushing robots into the operating room at times when a patient is better served by a human being. Robots can eventually improve outcomes in health care, but it would be a human failing if we rush to Doctor Robot due to financial considerations alone.

As the technology continues to advance, robots will kill many jobs. They will also create and preserve others, and they will also create immense value--although as we have seen time and again, this value won't be shared evenly. Overall, robots can be a boon, freeing up humans to do more productive things--but only so long as humans create the systems to adapt their workforces, economies, and societies to the inevitable disruption. The dangers to societies that don't handle these transitions right are clear.

[...] There needs to be investment in growing fields like robotics but also a social framework that makes sure those who are losing their jobs are able to stay afloat long enough to pivot to the industries or positions that offer new possibilities. Many countries, particularly those in Northern Europe, are strengthening the social safety net so that displaced workers have hopes of reemerging in a new field. That means taking some of the billions of dollars of wealth that will be produced from the field of robotics and reinvesting it in education and skills development for the displaced taxi drivers and waitresses. The assumption with robots is that they're all capex, no opex, but the capex you spend on robots doesn't get rid of the opex that people still require. We need to revise that assumption to account for the ongoing costs of keeping our people competitive in tomorrow's economy. We aren't as easy to upgrade as software.