Increased Pandemic Automation Fuels Workforce Anxiety
The COVID-19 health crisis has undoubtedly pushed companies toward automated processes and robotic systems. As the vaccine is rolled out, some worry workers may be permanently displaced as health restrictions loosen by Olivia Rockeman, James Attwood and Joe Deaux, Bloomberg News / December 17, 2020 Refraction AI in Ann Arbor has developed an autonomous delivery robot. The first generation Rev1 sits at a red light in Kerrytown while on a mission Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020 to deliver sandwiches in downtown Ann Arbor. (Mandi Wright/Detroit Free Press/TNS) TNS
(TNS) For decades, the attitude of unions and their advocates to increased automation could be summed up in one word: no. They feared that every time a machine was slipped into the workflow, a laborer lost a job.
Unions Worry Uptick in Automated Jobs Will Go Beyond Pandemic To maintain productivity and safety, some jobs are installing robot coworkers. Labor unions worry that the robots will continue to occupy jobs after the pandemic ends while others say they will free up workers for other positions. Olivia Rockeman, James Attwood and Joe Deaux, Bloomberg News | December 17, 2020 | Analysis
(TNS) For decades, the attitude of unions and their advocates to increased automation could be summed up in one word: no. They feared that every time a machine was slipped into the workflow, a laborer lost a job.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a small but significant shift in that calculation. Because human contact spreads the disease, some machines are now viewed not exclusively as the workers’ enemy but also as their protector. That has accelerated the use of robots this year in a way no one expects to stop, even after the vi
Butler on wheels, robot cutting salad: How COVID-19 sped automation techxplore.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from techxplore.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Synopsis
The impact of technology on employment has been a topic of anxiety and study for generations with mixed results. Cars didn’t kill trains, television didn’t end radio.
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Some argue that turning over repetitive jobs to robots will free up workers to take on new roles in what is now a booming industry elderly care.
For decades, the attitude of unions and their advocates to increased automation could be summed up in one word: no. They feared that every time a machine was slipped into the workflow, a laborer lost a job.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a small but significant shift in that calculation. Because human contact spreads the disease, some machines are now viewed not exclusively as the workers’ enemy but also as their protector. That has accelerated the use of robots this year in a way no one expects to stop, even after the virus is conquered.
Butler on Wheels, Robot Cutting Salad: How Covid Sped Automation
Bloomberg 12/14/2020 Olivia Rockeman, James Attwood and Joe Deaux
(Bloomberg) For decades, the attitude of unions and their advocates to increased automation could be summed up in one word: no. They feared that every time a machine was slipped into the workflow, a laborer lost a job.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has forced a small but significant shift in that calculation. Because human contact spreads the disease, some machines are now viewed not exclusively as the workers’ enemy but also as their protector. That has accelerated the use of robots this year in a way no one expects to stop, even after the virus is conquered.