Baran azdemir An autonomous warehouse.

I had a very close friend in Grade 5. We played together and shared our lunches always. He was certainly my best buddy. His father was a cashier at the nearby bank. I still remember the first day of Grade 6, when the school reopened after the long summer break. I was so happy that I would see my friend after a long time. But I was very disappointed when I learned that my friend had left the town and I wouldn't see him again. The bank had replaced his father with an automatic teller machine. My father was a coffee grower and he used automation for his farming. I am glad that automation didn't interrupt my schooling. However, it had replaced a lot of daily wage labourers who were working on our farm. I reconnected with my friend after 15 years and was very disappointed to hear about how he had been disadvantaged economically during his childhood. Today, there is a huge financial inequality. Economists debate the extent to which technology plays a role in economic inequality, although it has created opportunities and a better standard of living for many.

Bloomberg via Getty Images A self-checkout machine at a Kroger Co. supermarket.

The third industrial revolution In 1790, farmers made 90 per cent of the world's labour force. We have gone from everyone needing to grow food to modern farming with almost no one needing to grow food. Yet, we still have a surplus amount of food available. It is not just in the case of the farming sector, it's in all the economic sectors. We have spent several thousands of years building automated machines to cut physical labour. These machines are stronger, reliable and work more tirelessly than the human labourers ever could do. I think this is how economies grow and standards of living rise. The first industrial revolution was due to mechanization and the second industrial revolution was about mass production. The first two industrial revolutions made the world wealthier and urbanized. Now the third revolution is underway, manufacturing is undergoing automation. The automation is transforming the way goods are made and changing the politics of jobs. It has already displaced most of the lower-skilled and less-educated workers around the world. And many fear that it could further increase economic inequality.

Impact of automation on Canadian politics According to the 2016 study, more than 40 per cent of the Canadian workforce is at high risk of being replaced by automation in the next two decades. This will certainly lead to widespread inequality and increase homelessness. Furthermore, this might lead to voters being angry with a system which will make middle-class jobs tougher to come by, as well as increased inequality. This anger in the nation might give rise to populists and automation could be the unseen driver of populism. While the middle-class jobs are lost due to automation, the blame might be placed on new immigrants taking jobs. But as the studies show the biggest cause of job losses and inequality is actually automation. We are witnessing the growing anti-immigrant sentiments around the world and how it reshaping the politics. With more and more Canadian industries are set to be revolutionized by automation in next two decades, automation will surely reshape the politics of jobs in Canada.

Bloomberg via Getty Images Bill Morneau, Canada's finance minister, centre left, speaks as Kathleen Wynne, premier of Ontario, center right, looks on during a demonstration at the MaRS Discovery District in Toronto, Ont. on March 30, 2017. A new institute for artificial intelligence research opened with funding from the federal and Ontario governments as well as the private sector.

Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Canadian jobs The third industrial revolution is all about automation, which made human labour less in demand. The next industrial revolution will make human brain labour less in demand. Economists are already predicting that the AI will be the fourth industrial revolution. A number of AI-related innovations is already emerging, ranging from energy-efficient smart cities to self-driving trucks. I am certain that AI could be a catalyst in bringing efficiency in governance, like in the sectors of health care, etc. Many concerns emerge as well. Will it displace more Canadians workers out of a number of jobs? There are nearly 300,000 truck drivers in Canada, for example. Now, this entire workforce is in danger. Self-driving trucks are not the dreams of the future anymore. A fleet of autonomous trucks has legally driven across highways of Nevada, all without human intervention. The adoption of AI technology in Canada has the potential to displace many jobs -- and not just truck drivers. Under these circumstances, Canada should prepare for the effects of automation and AI on our labour force. In 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the government's Pan-Canadian AI strategy which aims to put Canada at the center of an emerging gold rush of innovation. So, what does this actually mean for economic inequality, homelessness and poverty?