People are worried about the impact of automation on jobs, but robotics and artificial intelligence can be important; however, a good example of a company that uses automation effectively is Ocado, a British business that delivers groceries online.
Their chief of technology says that without AI they couldn’t work at the scale they are working at.
At the moment, computer software decides what to pack in the boxes, and humans then actually pack them.
In the future, the company wants to have and automated system of machines that take the food or vegetables to the appropriate boxes.
There is a concern that robots will replace some human jobs, but on the contrary Ocado says that because they can work on a bigger scale it can provide more jobs – all thanks to automation.
An Oxford study once claimed that more than the 40% of jobs will be replaced in the next 20 years but that idea has been reviewed, with many economists now claiming that is too pessimistic.
In reality, automation can lead to more employment.
The best way to be guaranteed a job, however, is to become a robotic engineer!