美国科技公司帮助培训2000万东南亚工人，避免人工智能引发灾难

微软（Microsoft）、谷歌（Google）和思科（Cisco）等大型美国公司加入了世界经济论坛（World Economic Forum）的一项计划，将在2020年之前为2,000万名东南亚工人培训数字技能。该计划是世界经济论坛数字东盟倡议（Digital ASEAN）的一部分。

世界经济论坛执行委员会的成员贾斯汀·伍德表示：“第四次工业革命正在加速展开。”他说，工人需要掌握新的技能，而该地区的劳动年龄人口每天都以1.1万人的速度增加，这种趋势还会持续15年。

专家认为，向自动化、机器人技术和人工智能的转型将会对就业造成巨大影响，尤其是对制造业。有多少岗位上的人类会被换成由硅芯片驱动的替代品？不同的人会给出不同的答案。例如，咨询公司麦肯锡（McKinsey & Company）就预计有一半的工作活动可以被自动化，而60%的工作岗位有近三分之一的工作都属于机械作业。

正如世界经济论坛特别指出的那样，迅猛的完全自动化将会导致人力价值和概念的剧变，这很可能引发巨大的社会动荡。东南亚承担了大量行业，尤其是高科技行业的合同制造工作，对全球经济有着举足轻重的作用。该地区的稳定与否对许多国家和经济体而言至关重要。

这项倡议包括各公司承诺帮助东南亚地区——尤其是那些来自中小企业——的工人培训数字技能。该项目还为学习技术的学生提供了200万美元的奖学金，为数字工人提供了额外20万个工作岗位，并邀请了2万名市民参加“数字灵感日”（Digital Inspiration Days）。在这些日子里，科技公司将邀请市民参观办公场所，了解更多关于未来工作的情况。（财富中文网）

译者：严匡正

Major U.S. tech companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Cisco joined a World Economic Forum (WEF) plan to train 20 million Southeast Asian workers in digital skills by 2020, according to the public-private cooperation organization. The plans are part of the WEF’s Digital ASEAN initiative.

“The Fourth Industrial Revolution is unfolding at accelerating speed,” said Justin Wood, a member of the WEF’s executive committee. Workers need new skills and the working-age population in the region grows by 11,000 people every day and will continue for the next 15 years, he said.

A shift to automation, robotics, and artificial intelligence will have a big impact on jobs—particularly in manufacturing—experts agree. How many human jobs will fall to silicon-powered replacements depends on whom you ask. For example, consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimates that half of all work activities could be automated and in 60% of jobs, almost a third of the work done falls into the automated category.

As the WEF noted separately, rapid full automation would cause an upheaval in values and concepts of human labor, potentially causing significant social upheaval. Southeast Asia is important to the global economy given the amount of contract manufacturing it does for many industries, particularly in high tech. The region’s stability is important to many companies and economies.

The initiative includes a pledge by companies to help develop digital skills among Southeast Asian workers, especially those in small- and medium-sized enterprises. Also included are $2 million in scholarships for technology students, the hiring of an additional 200,000 digital workers, and engagement of 20,000 citizens through “Digital Inspiration Days,” during which companies will invite people to visit their offices and learn more about the future of work.