Can any software write good column?

Ever since I began writing on the robotics industry three years ago, a question has been unsettling my consciousness: Will robots take away my job?

It’s a question asked by readers, experts and policymakers too, reflecting how technological advances could sometimes stoke insecurity and implant fear in people’s minds.

And the answer to that question, unfortunately, is a simple yes. The “yes” may be simple, but the issues involved are complex. Breathe, take a deep breath — let me assure you, we won’t be jobless.

To be sure, with the rapid advances in machine control, artificial intelligence and other cutting-edge technologies, robots are getting increasingly potent — and smart. They can now assemble smartphones, track store inventory, clean the floor, make a cocktail and even write news stories and financial analyses.

That’s not all. There are robot firefighters and robot surgeons. And those that guide the blind and assist the old. Some even sing lullabies and teach rhymes and languages to kids.

The future of robots and automation, and the implications for societies, will be determined by what will happen first — will a nation age first? Or, will its unemployment hit the ceiling first?

China’s rapidly aging population is a factor that is driving automation in manufacturing. People aged 60 or older exceeded 240 million in 2017, accounting for 17.3 percent of China’s population. Their figure is estimated to hit 400 million (25 percent) in 2033, official data show.

At the same time, China’s shrinking demographic dividend and soaring labor cost are ringing alarm bells. Last year, the country’s pool of workers aged 16 to 59 declined for the sixth consecutive year. In Shanghai, a hotbed of manufacturing, monthly salaries have increased 250 percent in the last decade alone.

So, even as individuals worry if robots would steal their