It sounds like the stuff of science fiction. Kind of like “Planet of the Apes” only with robots. It’s hard enough getting a job these days and even harder getting a job as an actor. So when I heard that more and more jobs for actors were going to be replaced by robots, well frankly, I got worried.

Will Actors Be Replaced By Robots?

Not that I’m looking for a job as an actor right now, but plenty of my friends are. They work part-time jobs as waiters, valet parkers and bartenders hoping to get that big break as an actor that will propel them to the A list. Or at least pay their bills for a while. Yes, they’ve always had to deal with the fact that celebrities will get the job over them, or that a producer’s cousin or girlfriend or next-door neighbor will get the job over them, but robots? Now that’s really hard to compete with.

Robots Don’t Need Makeup

First of all robots are smarter than people. Well, maybe they aren’t quite yet, but if you’ve seen IBM’s Watson on Jeopardy you know they’re getting close. Robots certainly would never screw up their lines. And forget about their memory. I won’t even go there.

Robots wouldn’t need all that makeup and hair styling. And their wardrobe is pretty basic. You don’t have to worry about them being in a bad mood or hiding out in their trailers. If you don’t like their mood you just reprogram them.

Robots would never call in sick and they don’t need health care coverage. They don’t complain about working conditions and they can work double overtime without getting tired. In fact, who needs turnaround time? Robots can keep going around the clock and can probably finish a movie in half the time as a human.

Would You Hire a Robot to Babysit Your Kids?

A Japanese retail company, Aeon Co. recently brought in a four foot tall robot to babysit kids while their parents shopped. The PaPeRo robot can track kids using an ID chip, give pop quizzes, and even crack jokes with the kids. So, now I’m wondering, should Jim Carrey be worried?