The Difference Between Remote Intelligence and Other Technologies

Discuss about the Essay on Remote Intelligence Technologies.

Advancements in technology, as well as outsourcing, has been observed to be a threat to the white-collar jobs. Globalization can be considered as a form of arbitrage which is propelled by the fact that certain things are cheaper in a particular country than another. To-date, there is a very huge difference in international wages and salaries which makes it difficult to arbitrage the difference in wages. In addition, the resistance on mass migration resulting from political resistance means that most of the low-wage employees are stuck in their homes. This gives to the rise of certain questions such as: what if the low-wage employees in poor nations could be in a position to sell their labor to the developed nations? What if there is the possibility of the labor crossing the border without the laborer? The growth in computing power and communication such as remote intelligence have made it economical for laborers to work remotely past their country. Remote intelligence involves hiring high-skilled employees from across the world, most specifically in the developing nations where the cost of living, as well as the salaries, are much lower. This essay elaborates more on remote intelligence, detailing how different it is from other technologies such as drone usage, artificial intelligence, and field surveillance. In addition, a distinction is drawn between remote intelligence and telecommuting.

It is important to distinguish between remote intelligence with field surveillance, use f drones, and artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence involves computer systems’ creation and development and are capable of doing tasks that need human intelligence. This intelligence includes the ability to translate between languages, visual perception, recognizing speeches, as well as making decisions (Allen,Golden and Shockley, 2015, pp.52). On the other hand, the drones are considered to be Unmanned Aerial Vehicles according to the military. A drone is specifically used in an incidence where the use of manned flights is viewed to be risky or hard. Drones are used to provide an eye in the sky 24 hours, seven days a week. They can remain in the air for at least 17 hours as they loiter over a given area and send real-time images pertaining to activities taking place on the ground. Nonetheless, they are used for surveillance as well. Field surveillance involves the technique of gathering surveillance from an airborne vehicle such as a drone with the intention of monitoring a battlefield (Blount and Gloet, 2017, pp.62). However, remote intelligence involves hiring high-skilled employees from across the world, most specifically in the developing nations where the cost of living, as well as the salaries, are much lower. This is facilitated through the use of telepresence technology.

The Rise of Telecommuting

Despite that businesses are skeptical towards teleworkers, a report in 2013 by the Trans-Tasman Telework Survey indicated that teleworkers were more productive compared to the office workers. For instance, the National Telework Week has called on the Australian firms to consider telework as an efficient and viable workforce planning strategy (Bolman and Deal, 2017, pp.135). The aim is to facilitate the companies to increase productivity. Additionally, a review from the Australian firms argues that the performance of the workforce, as well as productivity, are among the major human capital problems.

To-date, many firms that have instigated telework policies are already benefiting, which include the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Thus, there is a need for employers to recognize the advantages resulting from telework as they look for more productive, cost-effective as well as the flexible workforce (Collins, Hislop and Cartwright, 2016, pp.171). Employees that are capable to make use of technology are becoming more essential for business as well as for government agencies. As, a result, employers have begun planning for a workforce that is more flexible as well as identifying these benefits that are as a result of teleworking.

The rise in teleworking has also been facilitated by the advantages it offers to the employers. This include staff retention since 71 percent of workers observes teleworking as having a positive effect towards their job attitude (Drucker, 2014, pp.204). In addition, the rise in telecommuting has facilitated employers to hire employees who possess the necessary skills and experience regardless of their location and are able to lower office accommodation’s costs. In previous years, telecommuting was hindered by the slow and unreliable network speeds. However, as a result of enhanced broadband speeds, telecommuting has taken shape as employees take these benefits to conduct online conferencing, virtual collaboration tools as well as a huge efficiency off transferring huge documents.

Companies that make use of remote intelligence does not mean that they are necessarily using telecommuting. A slight difference exists between these two technologies in managing the workforce. Generally, telecommuting is the daily practice of the employees to work away from the office. This means that employees can work from the comfort of their homes. However, this can also be done from different locations (Escolano, Antelis and Minguez, 2012, pp.795). Telecommuting’s hallmark is the employer’s ability to have a continuous contact via the internet which includes the use of chats as well as via a phone. In telecommuting, the employee has control over time and place. This means that the workers can work for flexible hours which enables them plan and create a balance between their personal life and work. However, remote intelligence differs from telecommuting in that the job is performed completely separately from the office (Eveleth, 2014, pp.61). It involves the use of telerobotics which overcomes the physical presence’s needs in most jobs. The telerobotics is not controlled by artificial intelligence but rather through the use of remote intelligence whereby a person far away operates the robot.

Advantages of Telework Policies for Employers and Employees

The birth to remote intelligence was not as a result of everyday procedures that are conceived in the mind. In fact, remote intelligence was an issue that took place away from earth, which got the use of robotic doctor moving. As people began to give consideration to human spaceflight, they began to ask themselves how they could treat a human being that is thousands of miles apart from the presence of any doctor (Faiola, Newlon, Pfaff and Smyslova, 2013, pp.1118). In the year 1970, there was a suggestion from NASA suggesting to the researchers to look into the option of coming up with remote-controlled robots that could be used to operate on astronauts. Since then, there has been steady work from the US Army and NASA to come up with reliable robots which could operate on a sick person miles away from a hospital. In the year 2006, a robot was used by Anvari to sew a cut on a person that lived in the ocean, thus simulating what remote intelligence would be like (Green, 2014, pp.9). Nonetheless, the use of telesurgery has as well been bleeding into the life of the civilians. For instance, the first transatlantic operation was carried out in 2001 by surgeons located in New York to a patient that resided in France. Additionally, in recent years, da Vinci system, the first market-ready robotic surgeon that is controlled by a nearby surgeon has been introduced. Notwithstanding, another remote intelligence enabling factor is that many people that are of varying age and have different health backgrounds are flying using SpaceX and Virgin Galactic (Greer and Payne, 2014, pp.87). The probability of these people needing emergency surgery is high, thus demand for remote intelligence will be high. Currently, many doctors are showing indications of the possibility to embrace the use of remote intelligence to treat and diagnose their patients. By 2025, the US Department of Defence aims at having a Trauma Pod which would give surgeons the chance of operating on soldiers from a distance. Hence, the future will see operations being conducted by doctors from another hospital without remotely being present. The main challenge includes ethical issues and regulations which are hindering the science from progressing.

As of 1990-2014, the United States had the second largest decline of the male workers who were aged between 18 and 5 years. The main account of this is as a result of outsourcing manufacturing jobs, with increased advancement in technology that rendered employment in the sector no cost-effective (Haans and Ijsselsteijn, 2012, pp.217). With the technologies’ capabilities such as remote intelligence increase, white-collar employees are experiencing the strain as well. In the past, two barriers existed when entering a high-skilled labor market: language and location. However, advancement in remote intelligence has changed this. Through the use of the technology, firms are able to employ high-skilled employees from across the globe in the developing nations. This is because the cost of living and salaries are lower compared to hiring employees with similar skills from developed countries. Remote intelligence is an extension of globalization and eliminates the arbitrage that protects workers who are high-skilled in the western nations (Hyun and O’Keefe, 2012, pp.33). In controlling machines, working on a business platform, as well as offering administrative jobs, the “tele-emigrants” will be employed from abroad thus enhancing on value. As a result, service sector employees should be more worried about virtual outsourcing rather than Artificial Intelligence.

The Future of Remote Intelligence and Its Applications

Additionally, the main reason for establishing business hubs is due to the ability to meet and function directly with customers and other team members in the most efficient manner. Psychologists argue that this is due to human micro-expressions that subconsciously allows human to determine if another person is being non-genuine or concealing information. The current remote intelligence technology is not capable of picking these minute facial twitches since they last almost less than 1/25th of a second (Johnston and Marshall, 2016, pp.521). However, as the technology improves and individuals become adopted to more remote interactions, the challenge of micro-expression will be overcome. Also, even if this does not become seamless, the savings on very low and affordable labor will outweigh minor inefficiencies’ costs. Hence, the arbitrage is soon to be exploited across all organizational departments. Remote intelligence thus poses a significant threat to job sustainability in the developed Western nations.

The world of technology is evolving very fast. This has given rise to remote intelligence which uses telepresence technology. Hence, there is need to ensure that is an ethical way of using the technology. First is the ethic of responsible use. In the growing world, robots are beginning to take care of some things that are done humans which include conducting precise medical procedures on patients who are far away from the doctors (Kim, et al, 2012, May, pp.2533). Remote intelligence is a good intelligence that is trying to get things in a more efficient and way compared to human performance. Thus, it should be used responsibly and treated as a tool that is not to be abused. Also, remote intelligence is a technology and its function is to advance the interest of humans. Generally, technology’s aim is to enhance human health, makes things better, as well as encourage motivation (Kristoffersson, Coradeschi and Loutfi, 2013, pp.3). Thus, the remote intelligence should be viewed as a technology that advances human interest. However, if it harms an individual’s interest, this means that it is being used inappropriately.

Remote intelligence is a technology that cannot be taken for granted due to the great impact that it has. There are several benefits associated with remote intelligence: first, remote intelligence results to enhanced retention of employees due to its positive impact on employees’’ job attitude (Mersino, 2013, pp.41). A recent research conducted by Google Australia indicated that employers that posses flexible IT policies which include remote intelligence have the possibility of saving almost 39% of their employee retention costs. Second, remote intelligence has facilitated organizations to recruit skilled and desirable workers across the globe, regardless of their location. As a result, this would reduce office accommodation’s costs. Third, remote intelligence also provides great opportunities for the workforce that is currently disadvantaged in the labor market. However, remote intelligence has some disadvantages that are associated with it. For instance, in telesurgery, an increase in the distance between the patient and the surgeon results in increased lag time (Michalski,Carbonell and Mitchell, 2013, pp.75). Additionally, interruptions may result in disaster. It is not possible for the robots to detect this disaster and go into autopilot mode to complete the surgery. This challenge is more common to operations that are performed at great distances such as in deep space and Mars. Additionally, the distance between the employer and the employee as well as between a doctor and a patient limits the facial interaction that creates a sense of being and facilitates the understanding the reactions of a person.

The Impact of Remote Intelligence on High-Skilled Labor Markets

In the current global economy, there are many skilled people that can assist a company to achieve its goals. With an increase in competition to hire talented individuals in high tech epicenters, it results in hiring people from other countries. As a result, the remote employees may pose management challenges. To effectively manage these remote employees, appropriate leadership style and traits are important to a manager (Shevchuk and Strebkov, 2012, pp.38). First, communication is very important. The manager should communicate clearly with the remote workers. It is important that they make use of visual communication methods such as video conferencing. The manager may share screenshots as well as pictures tough emails to efficiently explain what they want to be done. Additionally, the manager should set clear expectations. A status meeting should be held every week with the remote employees to guide them through the tasks that are expected of them. A timeframe should also be established, as well as having a formal process of reviewing their progress (Sterio, 2012, pp.197). Nonetheless, the manager should keep track of the remote worker’s work. This can be attained by implementing a tracking system. Setting the working hours ensures that the employees have a schedule that they can rely on. Lastly, the managers should offer support to their remote employees. At the beginning of the relationship between the employer and the employee, a culture that allows for feedback should be created. By understanding that constructive feedback is accepted, the workers become more comfortable to let the management aware when an issue arises.

Conclusion

It is futile to sacrifice the developments in globalization to effectively return to that era when the West reigned supreme. Technology has created the ability to unbundle labor services from the employees through the use of remote intelligence and avail this labor internationally. Competition in the new international wages and salaries will be of immense shock to the white-collar as well as the professional employees who are at the high end and the manual service employees found at the low end. As a result, there will be wreak to the political and societal transformation due to the shock on standards of living, social fabric, societal standing, as well as jobs. However, the primary issue to determine the future of this technology is investigate and see if patients are willing and comfortable to be operated by a surgeon that they have never met in real-life in the case of telesurgery.

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