A tinny voice asks, “Would you like fries with that?” A driverless truck barrels down the highway. A flashing screen says, “That colour really brings out your eyes.”

Welcome to our automated future, where more than 40 per cent of Canadian jobs have been replaced by technology.

“Our findings show that a significant percentage of Canadian jobs are at a high risk of being replaced by automation over the next 10 to 20 years,” Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship executive director Sean Mullin said in a written statement.

In a report released Wednesday, the Ryerson University-based institute says that nearly 42 per cent of Canada’s workforce is at a high risk of being affected by automation over the next two decades.

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Worried that you’ll be replaced by a robot? You can see what the probability of automation in your field is via this interactive chart.
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“However, we don’t believe that all of these jobs will be lost,” Mullin said. “Many will be restructured and new jobs will be created as the nature of occupations change due to the impact of technology and computerization.”

Automation, which is the replacement of workers with technology, can already be seen everywhere from automated grocery store checkout counters to electronic immigration kiosks at airports. But with continuing advances in artificial intelligence and robotics, automation is now moving beyond manual and routine tasks to roles that require thinking, such as driving a trucks or conducting job interviews.

According to the report, titled “The Talented Mr. Robot: The Impact of Automation on Canada’s Workforce,” the majority of high-risk occupations can be found in fields such as office support and general administration, sales and services, transportation and distribution, manufacturing, and construction. Generally speaking, these jobs have low pay and require little education

Jobs that are at a low risk of automation are generally associated with high skills and earnings, such as work in science, technology, engineering and math. People working in fields that require creativity and human contact -- such as nursing, teaching and design -- will also remain in demand.

“We hope these findings can help contribute to an important debate about how Canada should prepare for the effects of automation and computerization on our labour force,” Mullin added.

Journalists – thankfully – only face an eleven per cent probability of robot replacement.