How Emerging Technology Is Redefining Physical Risk Across Industries

The fact that tech innovations are helping humans with some of the most dangerous jobs can be interpreted in two ways. First, it’s great news because we won’t have to deal with tough tasks and can instead act more as commanders of tech tools (think of recent AI agents). On the other hand, not everyone does a job simply because it has to be done—many professionals love what they do despite the challenges. In this article, we’ll explore both perspectives.

Hollywood Stunt Work – Real Risks vs. CGI and AI

Leaping from buildings, crashing cars, or enduring staged explosions is all in a day’s work – and it is dangerous. This risk has always been part of the film industry, usually carried by professionals, called stuntmen.

Of course, being a stuntman is not just a profession, but more like a passion. When you read the thoughts of one of the most successful stuntmen, William Spencer, in one of the extreme sports podcast shows, you understand how much the love in movies plays a role for these people. So, even if the new technologies replace traditional stuntmen, the spirit and the love in the work won’t be there anymore.

Spencer, who has doubled for Spider-Man and other heroes, has described how his lifelong love of action films (from Mission Impossible to Jackie Chan movies) inspired him to endure the hardship and danger of a stunt career. That human passion and creativity – the stunt performer’s art – underpins the thrills we see on screen. Technology might greatly lower the danger of doing movie stunts, but it still can’t fully replace the energy and passion that real stunt performers like Spencer bring to the job.

Big CGI-heavy movies today often use fewer real stunts, especially for very risky scenes — like high falls or battles with imaginary creatures, where digital doubles are used instead. Artificial intelligence is the latest disruptor: AI tools can potentially generate photorealistic action sequences with “digital replicas” of performers. Studios now use 3D body scans of stunt actors and extras, raising the prospect that AI could manipulate those digital likenesses to perform any action imaginable. Director Neill Blomkamp even envisions a future where AI might generate entire action scenes “from the ground up,” eliminating the need for real stunt people, cameras, or sets altogether. It’s no wonder the stunt community is anxious – in mid-2023, as Hollywood unions went on strike, one issue at the forefront was protecting performers from being replaced by these digital stand-ins.

Construction – Drones and Robots Making Sites Safer

We often have the perception that jobs requiring a lot of physical work are naturally dangerous, and that this is just normal. While this is partially true, risks can often be eliminated with a smart workflow and the introduction of useful tools on the construction site.

Drones can quickly map sites, inspect structures like bridges or high-rise facades, and monitor progress from overhead. This “eye in the sky” approach means fewer workers need to physically go into precarious positions for surveys or inspections. As a result, the use of drones has significantly lowered the need for workers to be in dangerous areas and can perform these processes faster and safer than humans. Similarly, remote-controlled and automated machines are taking on hazardous operations. For instance, demolition robots can be sent in to tear down walls or concrete in an unstable building slated for demolition.

There are still challenges to work out – construction robots must navigate very dynamic environments, so ensuring they don’t introduce new dangers is key. To address this, the industry and regulators are developing safety standards for human-robot collaboration on job sites. Advanced sensors, automatic shut-offs, and speed and separation monitoring are being implemented so that if a human gets too close, the robot slows or stops.

Mining – Automation and Remote Operation Under the Earth

Mining has long been one of the most dangerous jobs — as the old saying went, “if you don’t get killed, you get old before your time.” In the early 1900s, mining accidents around the world killed thousands each year, with over 1,000 deaths annually in the U.S. alone. Even as safety rules got better, serious accidents like collapses and explosions still happened. Clearly, physically removing miners from the most dangerous tasks would be the ultimate solution – and that’s exactly what emerging technology is doing.

Robotic drills can bore into ore veins deep underground without a human at the controls on site. These robots can operate in areas with toxic gas or low oxygen that would be deadly to people. Similar changes are happening with transportation of mined material: enormous driverless hauling trucks and automated trains are now common at large mines.

For instance, Australia’s Fortescue Metals Group – one of the world’s big iron ore miners – has invested $2.8 billion to convert its fleet, ordering 360 self-driving trucks (along with automated excavators and dozers) to create mines where machines do the hauling and digging. Removing drivers from those giant trucks means fewer cases of deadly collisions.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, especially after the rise of AI, we tend to rely more and more on technology in different areas. When it comes to risks, people naturally become more sensitive. Unfortunately, this has some drawbacks too, as some people begin to avoid adventures and adrenaline-filled activities, trying to eliminate any kind of risk by replacing physical experiences with AI glasses.

Don’t laugh if a friend just got back from a trip that was experienced through an Apple Vision Pro. Perhaps we need to push the boundaries when it comes to workplace risks—but we also shouldn’t look down on real-world adventures that aren’t necessarily dangerous, but full of adrenaline and help us stay connected to the world.