Tag: employment

Volvo’s autonomous trucks just picked up their first real-world job

Volvo’s Vera electric self-driving trucks are headed to public roads with their first proper job, with the autonomous haulers set to shuttle containers to a Swedish port. Revealed in 2018, Vera is the handiwork of the Volvo Trucks division, a driverless alternative to traditional trucks for short distances of travel.

Now, it’s time for Vera to show what it can do. The automaker has partnered up with DFDS, with the ferry and logistics company set to use the self-driving truck to transport goods from one of its facilities in Gothenburg, Sweden, to an APM Terminals port.

Several of the trucks will […]

The case for taxing robots — or not

The case for taxing robots — or not

Should your Roomba need a W-2?

Probably not, but it’s an amusing thought when debating the more serious topic of whether or not a robot should have to pay taxes — and how to do it.

During the June MIT Technology Review EmTech Next event, two experts argued both sides of the question before an audience at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ryan Abbott , professor of law and health sciences at the University of Surrey, argued in favor of taxing robots, while Ryan Avent , economics columnist for The Economist, argued against the idea. Both agreed there needs […]

What automation means for gender gap

What automation means for gender gap

Recent trends, and the broader history of technological change, indicate that automation will usher in major shifts in labour markets over the next decade, displacing millions of workers but also creating millions of new jobs that require new skills. The McKinsey Global Institute, having documented these changes for several years, has produced a new report examining how automation might affect men and women differently. A key conclusion of the study is that persistent gender disparities in the workplace, as documented in a previous MGI report, will make it more difficult for women than for men to adapt to the […]

The Evolution of Work in Urban Labor Markets

The Evolution of Work in Urban Labor Markets

The Google logo adorns the outside of their New York City office, June 3, 2019. Over the past four decades, wage inequality in the U.S. has grown remarkably, with the earnings of the most educated increasing and the earnings of the least educated falling in real terms. But that’s not the whole story. The polarization of employment by educational attainment has been accompanied by—and is likely the result of—a less widely recognized polarization of jobs across regions.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist David Autor gave an interesting keynote address on this topic at the annual conference of MIT’s Initiative on […]

Festival of Work: Why job automation is an opportunity, not a threat

Festival of Work: Why job automation is an opportunity, not a threat

Garry Kasparov shared some insight into what the future workplace might involve. Image: CIPD Job automation was hotly debated by speakers at the CIPD’s Festival of Work conference this week, with many agreeing that it will replace many middle-skilled occupations. But this shouldn’t be seen as a threat to the human workforce, as Ashleigh Webber reports.

Until very recently, job automation and the idea that artificial intelligence (AI) would put swathes of the workforce out of work seemed distant concerns. However, with Amazon recently rolling out 200,000 robots across 50 warehouses and two NHS hospitals in London introducing software […]

Driverless trucks: Are you honking mad? Or do you think they can make highways safer?

Driverless trucks: Are you honking mad? Or do you think they can make highways safer?

Starsky Robotics, a San Francisco-based technology startup, is seeking to hire 100 truck drivers so it will have enough qualified to drive trucks remotely when it begins removing humans from its trucks in 2020. (Starsky Robotics / Courtesy) Don’t look now, but that truck coming up behind you could have no one behind the wheel.

With a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis set to go into effect July 1 , driverless trucks should be on the road by 2020 according to one operator in the state, and the law doesn’t require state inspections or certifications.

There are a lot […]

Volvo’s autonomous trucks just picked up their first real-world job

Volvo’s autonomous trucks just picked up their first real-world job

Volvo’s Vera electric self-driving trucks are headed to public roads with their first proper job, with the autonomous haulers set to shuttle containers to a Swedish port. Revealed in 2018, Vera is the handiwork of the Volvo Trucks division, a driverless alternative to traditional trucks for short distances of travel.

Now, it’s time for Vera to show what it can do. The automaker has partnered up with DFDS, with the ferry and logistics company set to use the self-driving truck to transport goods from one of its facilities in Gothenburg, Sweden, to an APM Terminals port. Several of the trucks […]

Envisioning the future of robotics in the world of business

Envisioning the future of robotics in the world of business

A robot is a machine that is programmed by a computer to carry out different tasks which can be complex or simple in nature. Over the years there has been a positive trend in the robotics technology due to it benefits be it for surgeries or automated assembling of cars. This outward trend has therefore encouraged various big corporations to consider and implement this technology in their operations.

In order to understand and predict the future of robotics, we must first review, albeit briefly, the status quo. A reductionist approach to simplify the intricacies involved in robotics must be used; […]

Machines Are Taking Your Jobs, Not Vietnam: Regional Automation Vulnerability in the United States

This thesis investigates factors that explain for the variation in automation vulnerability of American metropolitan statistical areas. The rapid pace of technological innovation, exemplified by the pursuit of automated vehicles in recent years, is creating growing unease in their power to replace human employment. In certain respects, machines are much more productive and overall better workers than human beings. Decreasing cost in computer capital is also making automation investment more affordable than ever before. However, this is only part of the story. The study attempts to quantify and visualize the variation in regional technological exposure and determine whether industrial […]

PTC LiveWorx 2019 – Paul Roehrig of Cognizant on robots, AR, and the great jobs debate

PTC LiveWorx 2019 - Paul Roehrig of Cognizant on robots, AR, and the great jobs debate

Summary: I’m always a sucker for a robots-and-jobs debate. This time, I joust with jobs optimist and future of work expert Paul Roehrig. But Roehrig brought a LiveWorx twist, tying IoT, AI and augmented reality to the discussion. Paul Roehrig of Cognizant at PTC LiveWorx In my day one PTC Live Worx review, I honed in on views from PTC Augmented Reality customers . But it’s really the intersection of technologies (IoT, AR, AI) where the story gets fascinating. Nowhere is that more true than the future of work, a topic that gets a provocative look via the Cognizant […]