Hamed Wardak, Philanthropist

When Henry Ford uttered those words, little did he know that automation would not only replace some jobs at Ford Motors, but also a growing list of other companies.  Among the latest automated items are shopping carts which Canadian retailer Sobeys recently announced for all 1,500 of its locations.  These smart carts take cashier-less stores to a level higher in the tech world.  Shoppers at Sobeys will soon be scanning what they purchase as they place them in the carts.  

As if that announcement wasn’t enough to spark interest, Spot, the robot dog, has been tested by some police departments to alert officials about suspicious locations or possibly dangerous devices.  The use of Spot by the Massachusetts State Police caused concern among some civil rights groups, worried that the step might be weaponizing robots.

In more than a hundred locations of Stop & Shop, in parts of Massachusetts, 6 ft tall robots called “Marty” patrol store aisles.  Their duty is to spot areas that need cleaning or attention and alert a human so that the issue can be handled sooner than later.

Last year, the IPPR think tank in the United Kingdom estimated that automation could replace as much as 44% of its workforce over the next few decades.  The Bank of England warned that as many as 15 million jobs could be affected.

On top of that, a Ball State University study cited automation as the major cause for a decline in jobs during the 2000 to 2010 decade.  The report went on to say it was the worst decade for decline in manufacturing jobs in the United States.

THE ANSWER?

For the short term, many observers agree that improvements in STEM programs will be valuable in helping displaced workers improve their skills, and for those looking to enter the artificial intelligence world, but for the longer term, others see a need for collaboration, even in influencer marketing. 

The collaboration some observers wish to see is a joint effort between companies, their leaders and educators.   These observers believe there will be jobs alongside automation roles, conducted by robots, for which employees will need to be trained.  Companies anticipating a move to automation need to seriously consider investing in helping their workforce transition and educate them.  Doing this not only solidifies employee loyalty, but also sends a strong positive signal to prospective employees and customers.

Other optimists include the Centre for Economic and Business Research, whose recent study alludes to a positive association between economic growth and automation.  In an interview with an industry publication, Neil Kinson, Chief of Staff for Redwood Software said, “the reality is there will be jobs in 2020 that my children will move into that we don’t even know exist today, as is paralleled by any of the great technological advances, whether it was automating agriculture, looms, the Industrial Revolution, whatever it is. What we’re seeing is the ability to develop new services that drive growth and employment.”

IBM CEO Ginni Rometty referred to these new jobs as “new collar jobs.”  Another IBM executive Guruduth Banavar called it “differently skilled jobs.”  Regardless of the label, industry sources see growth with a trained or retrained labor force.

A ray of optimism came from a recent AlixPartners study suggesting that with robotics, U.S. firms which currently have work completed overseas may find it more economical and beneficial to do it locally with automation.