1、高考英语时文读与译：高考英语时文读与译： Covid-19s AI Revolution 疫情当下关于人工智能的思考疫情当下关于人工智能的思考 （上）（上） One analysis by consulting firm McKinsey & Company in 2017 suggested that automation could displace up to 800 million jobs worldwide by 2030. Back in 2013, Carl Frey and Michael Osborne at the University of Oxford rather
2、piquantly used a machine-learning algorithm to assess how easily different jobs could be automated. The study concluded that machines will be able to do 47 per cent of all US jobs in the coming two decades a figure that remains relatively constant today. 2017 年，麦肯锡咨询公司（McKinsey & Company）的一项分析显示，至 2
3、030 年自动 化将可取代全球人工工作多达 8 亿份。 而早在 2013年， 牛津大学的 Carl Frey 和 Michael Osborn 进行了一项基于数据算法的研究，评估了不同职业被自动化取代的概率。其结 论颇为尖刻， 机器将在未来 20 年取代全美范围内 47%的人工工作这一数据至今仍 相对稳定。 The rise of robotics and AI has often been described as part of a “fourth industrial revolution” but covid-19 is vastly accelerating the trend. 人
4、们常常将机器人与人工智能的兴起归为“第四次工业革命” （注释见文末） 的一部分； 而新冠疫情在极大程度上加速了这一革命进程。 Many companies have been putting a rocket under the trend. In March, a survey by auditing firm Ernst & Young of around 2,900 executives in 46 countries found that more than three-quarters were taking measures to either change or re-evalu
5、ate the speed of their automation processes. 疫情期间， 许多企业开始加速跟进自动化发展趋势。 今年 3 月， 安永会计师事务所 （Ernst & Young）针对 46 个国家 2,900 名高管的调查显示，逾四分之三的企业正在采取措施 改变公司自动化流程，或重新评估公司的自动化进度。 Concrete steps include the likes of Amazon, Walmart and other big retailers deploying more robots to haul and pack goods in their war
6、ehouses, and YouTube and Twitter using more machines for content moderation. Chatbot use has also swelled: in March, PayPal was using such software to handle a record 65 per cent of its message-based customer enquiries. IBM reported seeing a 40 per cent jump in demand from February to April for its
7、Watson Assistant software that firms such as US retailer Macys and car manufacturer Chevrolet use to handle online calls. 部分企业已经实施了具体的行动。比如，Amazon、Walmart 等大型零售商在仓库中投 入了更多的机器人用于商品的运输和包装， YouTube 和 Twitter 则使用了更多的机器进 行网站内容的审核。自助客服的使用也在激增，PayPal 在 3 月份利用此类软件处理了 65%的文本类客户咨询。IBM 报告称，旗下软件 Watson Assistan
8、t 今年 2 月至 4 月的用 户需求量增长了 40%，美国零售百货 Macys 和汽车制造商 Chevrolet 等公司都使用了 该软件处理线上需求。 （为统一形式，企业名称全不译。）（为统一形式，企业名称全不译。） Anxiety about automation seems to be increasing in lockstep. As part of a recent survey conducted by the Center for the Governance of Change at IE University in Segovia, Spain, almost 2,900
9、people from 11 countries were asked whether their governments should limit automation by law in order to save jobs and prevent technological unemployment. In January, 42 per cent of respondents in Spain and 27 per cent in China two countries that bore the initial brunt of the pandemic said “yes”. Th
10、ree months later, as covid-19 worsened, those figures jumped to 55 and 54 per cent, respectively. 各企业在自动化发展上齐头并进，但人们的情绪却日渐焦虑起来。最近，西班牙 IE 大 学塞戈维亚校区的变革治理中心开展了一项调查，11 个国家近 2,900 人被要求在问卷 中就如下问题表态：政府是否应该出台法律限制自动化，以稳住现有工作、防止技术 性失业。1 月份的调查显示，在最先受到疫情冲击的两个国家西班牙和中国的受 访者中，分别有 42%和 27%的人表示支持。三个月后，随着疫情逐渐严重，这一数据
11、分别跃升至 55%和 54%。 “If you look historically, what you often see is that automation anxiety tends to be particularly prevalent during economic downturns.”Perhaps the most infamous example, highlighted by Frey in his 2019 book The Technology Trap, were the Luddites, who smashed stocking frames, mechanis
12、ed looms and other trappings of the first industrial revolution in the UK. “历史地来看，经济低迷的时期，人们对自动化的焦虑情绪会变得尤其普遍，这太常见 了。”众多案例之中，最为臭名远播的恐怕是卢德派分子（the Luddites）。在 Carl Frey 于 2019 年出版的科技陷阱（The Technology Trap）一书中，他重点谈到这群人在 英国第一次工业革命时期，破坏织袜机、织布机和其它设备的捣毁机器运动。 Today, the sheer number of sectors affected is co
13、mpounding such fears. Those include financial analysts and radiographers whose jobs involve a lot of routine analysis of specific forms of data. Many of those jobs can now be performed just as competently, if not more so, by an AI. “This is one of the first times in history where a mix of blue and w
14、hite collar jobs are affected.” 现今， 受自动化影响的行业如此之多， 进一步加剧了人们的恐慌情绪。 这些行业当中， 还包括金融分析师和放射技师等职业，其工作内容涉及大量对特定形式的数据进行惯 例分析。就这一类工作而言，现在的人工智能不仅能完全胜任，甚至可能比人类做得 更好。“蓝领和白领阶层一并受到冲击，这在历史上还是首次出现的情况。” 注释：注释： Fourth industrial revolution: 关于第四次工业革命 Characterised by artificial intelligence, robots, big data, smart te
15、chnology and biotechnology 内容特征：人工智能、机器人、大数据、智能技术和生物技术 Key inventions include DNA sequencing and CRISPR technology, nanotechnology, blockchain, virtual reality, the internet of things, cloud computing, quantum computing, autonomous vehicles and 3D printing 重要发明：DNA测序和基因编辑技术（CRISPR）、纳米技术、区块链、虚拟现实、物 联网、云计算、量子计算、无人驾驶和3D打印 Continued shift from physical to online worlds 趋势：从现实世界向网络虚拟持续过渡
