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Vast swathes of the global workforce could be replaced by machines thanks to rapid technological change and innovation in artificial intelligence and robotics.

And future governments will be forced to bring in legislation to ensure quotas of human workers as traditional working practices are turned on their head.

Gerlind Wisskirchen, a Cologne-based employment lawyer who is vice-chair of the International Bar Associations (IBA) global employment institute, said existing legal frameworks regulating employment and safety are becoming rapidly outdated.

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Jobs at all levels in society presently undertaken by humans are at risk of being reassigned to robots or AI

Gerlind Wisskirchen

He said: What is new about the present revolution is the alacrity with which change is occurring, and the broadness of impact being brought about by AI and robotics.

Jobs at all levels in society presently undertaken by humans are at risk of being reassigned to robots or AI.

And the legislation once in place to protect the rights of human workers may be no longer fit for purpose.

In some cases new labour and employment legislation is urgently needed to keep pace with increased automation.

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Mr Wisskirchens report for the IBA said the competitive advantages of poorer, emerging economies which rely on cheaper workforces will soon be a thing of the past as robot production lines and intelligent computer systems undercut the cost of humans.

A German car worker costs more than 34 an hour but a robot costs around 5 per hour.

He said: A production robot is thus cheaper than a worker in China. Nor does a robot become ill, have children or go on strike and it is not entitled to annual leave.

Mr Wisskirchen warned that white collar professions will not be immune to the AI revolution and predicted a third of graduate level jobs would eventually be replaced by machines or software around the world.

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Among the professions most likely to disappear are accountants, court clerks and desk officers at fiscal authorities.

The report covers both changes already transforming work and the future consequences of what it describes as industrial revolution 4.0.

The three preceding revolutions are listed as: industrialisation, electrification and digitalisation.

Industry 4.0 involves the integration of the physical and software in production and the service sector.

The report names Amazon, Uber, Facebook, smart factories and 3D printing as pioneers.

Mr Wisskirchen said governments will one day have to decide what jobs should be performed exclusively by humans such as childcare.

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He said: The state could introduce a kind of human quota in any sector and decide whether it intends to introduce a made by humans label or tax the use of machines.

He noted that the traditional workplace is disintegrating, with more part time employees, distance working, and the blurring of professional and private time.

He said: It is being replaced by the latte macchiato workplace where employees or freelance workers are based in the cafe around the corner, working from their laptops.

The workplace may eventually only serve the purpose of maintaining social network between colleagues.

See the article here:

AI FEARS: New laws DEMANDED over concerns at speed of super robots taking over our jobs - Express.co.uk