If you are like most of the workforce, you’ve probably already felt the impact of the changes that are taking place within today’s society. It doesn’t matter if you are a cashier at the local grocery store or an executive on Wall Street, you’ve likely experienced dramatic changes in your workplace over the last couple of years. And, what’s even scarier is that the pace of this change will never be this slow again. From this point forward, things are only going to change even faster. All that aside, a lot of this change has to do with robotics. Not so long ago the idea of robots patrolling neighborhoods or caring for children seemed like something right out of a science fiction novel. Well, many are starting just what a real concept this is becoming in today’s time. It might just start with self-checkout lanes and automatic medical dispensers, but where could robotics take the future of the workforce?
An Increase In Productivity
Right now, the biggest justifiable concern with robots in the workforce is job replacement. There is no denying that in the right setting a robot could be more productive than a human. And, this is because they generate fewer errors and aren’t affected by certain outside forces that humans are exposed to. Researchers in many fields have already started studying the impact of robotics on productivity levels in certain industries. They were applying certain concepts and simulations to find out if robots would, in fact, be more productive than humans. That being said, the purpose of this study or the purpose of bringing robots into the workforce is not to replace human workers. It is simply to boost productivity levels. And, it has been proven that is just what these mechanical machines can do.
One finishing company in California saw as much as a four percent increase in their productivity levels when they brought in their first robot painter. The really interesting thing is they were able to do this without getting rid of any human workers, but who’s to say that this will always be the case?
A More Blended Workforce
Even with something as high tech as a collaborative robot dispensing system on hand, there is still going to be a demand or a need for humans in the workplace. In fact, such machines as the ones mentioned here were specifically designed to work in conjunction with humans. This really is a win/win because it combines the thoughtfulness of humans with the consistency of machines. And, this is probably why major manufacturing plants like the Mercedes-Benz plant in Russia is already taking advantage of such technology. Simply put, you can expect to see more humans and robots working side by side in the workforce now.
Blue-Collar Will Be No More
If machines are implemented into a blue-collar workforce it will take special training and knowledge to run them. It won’t just be data scientists that need to know how to read and utilize this data anymore. The perfect example of this is the launch of Airbnb’s Data University. The company developed and recently released a litany of training programs to teach their employees to be more data literate, starting right down at the few basics and moving all the way up to the more advanced skills like artificial intelligence and machine learning.
You must be logged in to post a comment.