With all eyes focused on the upcoming elections in France (one down, two to go), the United Kingdom and throughout Europe, it’s easy to lose sight of the causes of all the unrest that seems to be percolating throughout society just about everywhere in the western world. Surely it is immigration from Asia, the Middle East and Africa that is at the forefront, placing strains on government resources and social safety nets, and (at least potentially, in the long run) increasing competition for jobs? A turning point Competitive pressure for jobseekers is even more concerning today, as advances in automation and robot technology appear to be accelerating. The year 2012 seems to have been a turning point, as revolutionary advances on both the hardware and software sides of artificial intelligence made machine learning — self-training programs — achievable, efficient and affordable. It should come as no surprise that, shortly after these advanc