Category: Automation Impact on Jobs

GM hooking 30,000 robots to Internet to keep factories humming

GM hooking 30,000 robots to Internet to keep factories humming

(Bloomberg) — General Motors Co. has connected about a quarter of its 30,000 factory robots to the internet, and the largest U.S. automaker already is reaping the benefits of less down time.

In the last two years, GM has avoided 100 potential failures of vehicle-assembling robots by analyzing data they sent to external servers in the cloud, Mark Franks, director of global automation, said at a conference in Chicago on Monday. Connectivity is preventing assembly line interruptions and robot replacements that can take as long as eight hours. “If we can avoid a disruption in our manufacturing, we can save […]

Urgent legal reform needed ahead of the fourth industrial revolution

Urgent legal reform needed ahead of the fourth industrial revolution

Gerlind Wisskirchen New labour and employment legislation is “urgently needed” before the impending AI revolution, including in the area of liability for autonomous cars, according to a report by the International Bar Association (IBA).

The present wave of automation, driven by artificial intelligence (AI) – the development of computer systems able to perform tasks normally requiring human intelligence – is creating a gap between current legislation and new laws necessary for an emerging workplace reality, states the 120-page report by the IBA Global Employment Institute (IBA GEI), entitled Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Their Impact on the Workplace .

The report […]

The Challenge of Automation: Finding Our Place Amongst the Machines

The Challenge of Automation: Finding Our Place Amongst the Machines

The automation revolution underway now is profoundly different from previous technological revolutions, with job losses likely to far exceed job creation and no clear solutions in sight. This is an uncomfortable reality for many of us. We are used to cheering all technological advances and the conveniences they bring. The progress of technology has always seemed both inevitable and exciting in its unpredictability, but never a choice that we have had to make as a society. This may be about to change in the coming years and decades as we struggle find a place for human beings amongst all […]

Marijuana ‘trimmigrants’ have the hardest job in the industry ― and they could soon be upstaged by robots

Marijuana 'trimmigrants' have the hardest job in the industry ― and they could soon be upstaged by robots

Thomas Shipley prunes marijuana buds before they are processed for shipping at Tweed Marijuana Inc in Smith’s Falls, Ontario. Every summer, tens of thousands of migrant workers swarm a remote area of Northern California — the marijuana-growing capital of the US — to find work as "trimmers" after the weed has been harvested.

Their job is to prune the fluffy, green buds with small pairs of scissors to clear them of leaves before they wind up on dispensary shelves or in dealers’ pockets.

The work is arduous and pays between $100 and $300 a day for 10 to 15 hours of […]

GM Hooking 30,000 Robots to Internet to Keep Factories Humming

GM Hooking 30,000 Robots to Internet to Keep Factories Humming

General Motors Co. has connected about a quarter of its 30,000 factory robots to the internet, and the largest U.S. automaker already is reaping the benefits of less down time.

In the last two years, GM has avoided 100 potential failures of vehicle-assembling robots by analyzing data they sent to external servers in the cloud, Mark Franks, director of global automation, said at a conference in Chicago on Monday. Connectivity is preventing assembly line interruptions and robot replacements that can take as long as eight hours.

“If we can avoid a disruption in our manufacturing, we can save ourselves a significant […]

Lawyers, accountants join list of workers who could lose their jobs to AI, warns report

Lawyers, accountants join list of workers who could lose their jobs to AI, warns report

If you’re an accountant, lawyer or data analyst, a robot may soon take over your job.

A new report from the International Bar Association suggests machines will most likely replace humans in high-routine occupations .

The authors have suggested that governments introduce human quotas in some sectors in order to protect jobs.Gerlind Wisskirchen, a lawyer for labour and employment law, coordinated the study, which started one-and-a-half years ago."We thought it’d just be an insight into the world of automation and blue collar sector," she said."This topic has picked up speed tremendously and you can see it everywhere and read it every […]

GM hooking up robots to Internet to keep factories humming

GM hooking up robots to Internet to keep factories humming

Mark Franks, GM’s director of global automation: “If we can avoid a disruption in our manufacturing, we can save ourselves a significant amount of money.” General Motors has connected about a quarter of its 30,000 factory robots to the Internet, and the automaker already is reaping the benefits of less downtime.

In the last two years, GM has avoided 100 potential failures of vehicle-assembling robots by analyzing data they sent to external servers in the cloud, Mark Franks, director of global automation, said at a conference in Chicago on Monday. Connectivity is preventing assembly line interruptions and robot replacements that […]

Will robots replace workers or create new jobs?

Will robots replace workers or create new jobs?

View Slideshow 1 of 3 Will robots work alongside humans, or in place of them?

Automation and robotics are playing an ever-increasing role in the workplace, particularly in manufacturing.

According to the Robotics Industry Association, in the United States, capital investment in robots increased by 13.1% from 2015 to 2016, to $1.81 billion. Many of those investments have been made in Michigan factories.“The biggest user is the automotive industry,” said Jeff Burnstein , president of the Association for Advancing Automation , an industry trade group. “G.M., Ford, Chrysler, are all investing heavily in robotics. So likely that makes [southeast] […]

Global South to Be ‘Potential Losers’ as Robots Replace Workers: Report

Global South to Be 'Potential Losers' as Robots Replace Workers: Report

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The report also states that new high-tech jobs will spring up in advanced countries as robotics do away with menial or routine jobs in low-labor-cost nations. | Photo: AFP An international group of lawyers is warning that humans are ill-equipped to deal with a "Fourth Industrial Revolution" driven by automation. A massive wave of job displacements driven by automation and artificial intelligence is coming and governments across the globe are far from prepared to deal with the disruptions this will cause, according to a report released Tuesday by an international group of lawyers.The […]

Future Robots In The Work Place: Artificial Intelligence Will Require New Laws, Attorneys Say

Future Robots In The Work Place: Artificial Intelligence Will Require New Laws, Attorneys Say

The coming era of artificial intelligence and automation will drastically change the workplace, and new laws need to exist to keep up with impending changes, an international group of lawyers said Tuesday.

The Global Employment Institute of the International Bar Association released a 120-page report Tuesday , titled "Artificial Intelligence and Robotics and Their Impact on the Workplace." In the report, the legal group warned technological change is outpacing our ability to pass new legislation and install legal frameworks, which means our laws won’t reflect the workforce realities they govern if countries don’t move quickly to keep up.

Read: China […]