Tag: manufactur

John Oliver: Parents Aren’t Preparing Kids for Automation

John Oliver: Parents Aren’t Preparing Kids for Automation

It feels good to laugh about automation and the dire future of the job market. But wouldn’t it feel better to do something to protect our kids?

On Sunday, comedian John Oliver addressed how automation is changing the American workforce , saying “Fifty years from now people will be doing jobs that we can’t even imagine right now. Like crypto baker, snail re-hydrater, investment harpist.” Then he spoke to kids about their future careers , which went about as well as you might think: He told them that robots could do their dream jobs and they told him off. […]

Northern jobs most at risk from rise in automation

Jobs in the north of England are most at risk from the rise of robots and artificial intelligence because workers are less skilled in sectors most threatened by automation.

Older workers in northern cities who have low skill levels are particularly vulnerable as they will struggle to get a new job, MPs studying the likely effect of automation have heard.

By contrast, their counterparts in the south are likely to benefit from rising demand and increased employment.“Overall the new wave of technology and investment should create jobs and prosperity” says the Daily Telegraph , “but the change will be wrenching, and […]

Reskilling for jobs of the future

Reskilling for jobs of the future

The writer is a Cambridge graduate and is a panelist for the British Council’s debate on ‘Re-skilling for jobs of the future’. He tweets @faranmah Imagine that one day you wake up and discover that a robot has taken over your job — making you redundant. As your associate degree in computer science is pretty much outdated, you fail to get the attention of potential recruiters in your city.

However, foresight studies show that our next nightmare isn’t about robots taking over our jobs but is rather about not finding enough humans to take them. This skill crisis is as […]

The haves and have nots…

The haves and have nots...

Disruptive change has over many years presented many challenges in the process of the change from the old to the new. There are many examples of successful transitions but unfortunately there are many that have proven problematic.

Back in the 19th century the birth of the Luddites organisation was born as a protest movement against the introduction and use of new technology machinery in the weaving industry. The term Luddite has over time been used as a term to mean one opposed to industrialisation, automation, computerisation or new technology in general.

Back in 1900 in the US there were 12 million […]

Is IT/OT Convergence Becoming Misguided Thinking?

Is IT/OT Convergence Becoming Misguided Thinking?

By Bill Lydon, Editor, Automation.com

The convergence of Information Technology (IT) & Operations Technology(OT) has been a growing topic of importance in manufacturing. Many times, however the focus on IT/OT convergence can be too narrow in scope to leverage the increasingly advanced technologies to achieve a manufacturing competitive advantage. In my experience, I find that IT/OT convergence presentations and discussions have, in many ways, continued to foster siloed suppliers and groups within a manufacturing company. This limits the scope of thinking about digitalization, which should ideally encompass the entire manufacturing process and ecosystem, including: Product design

Incoming supply chain […]

Full-Time Employment in the Age of Automation

Full-Time Employment in the Age of Automation

Back in 1930, the economist John Maynard Keynes wrote a short essay, “ Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren ,” in which he predicted that in a hundred years the 15-hour work week will be commonplace. Keynes made this assertion based on two factors: first, the increase in capital due to extraordinary yields from the compound interest that was made possible by increased foreign (global) investment; second, the growth of technological achievement made necessary by the competitive forces of capitalism and made possible by the availability of excess capital.

Keynes pointed out that these events are recent in terms of the […]

John Oliver Tackles the Dreaded A-Word: Automation

John Oliver Tackles the Dreaded A-Word: Automation

(If you cannot view the video, please click here .) Industrial automation is coming

During the most recent episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, John Oliver hilariously covered the potential impact of automation within the modern workforce. It’s the unlikeliest of topics one would expect to see on late night television, but it is one that’s surely on the minds of many working professionals in the US, as a recent staffing industry report suggests .

The news feature begins innocently enough: Vibrant, optimistic children are asked about their eventual dreams and career aspirations, but after the segment transitions through […]

Age of automation: need for upskilling

In the last two decades, automation has made giant strides in the manufacturing sector. From changing the factory shop floor to the nature of employment, it has been rapidly transforming the traditional processes of manufacturing.

Today, as the fourth Industrial Revolution dawns upon us, advancements in the field of AI (artificial intelligence), machine learning and robotics have given rise to machines that are capable of a wide array of work activities. In fact, these machines can outperform humans not only in manual labour, but also in tasks that require cognitive abilities.

Needless to say, the manufacturing sector has benefited immensely following […]

John Oliver Gives Kids a Tough Lesson on A.I. and Robot Job Losses

John Oliver Gives Kids a Tough Lesson on A.I. and Robot Job Losses

Robot automation is transforming society, but John Oliver is worried that kids aren’t prepared. The Last Week Tonight host used Sunday’s episode to highlight the large-scale shift as super-smart A.I. take over human roles, something that many kids — and president Donald Trump — don’t truly appreciate.

Oliver criticized the president’s focus on manufacturing jobs outsourced to other countries. While Oliver conceded that some of these jobs are moving overseas, he also cited industry figures that show American manufacturing produces twice as much as it did in 1984, but with a third of the jobs.

“Many of those jobs aren’t being […]

Innovation Nation: Automation is changing how we work – for the better

Innovation Nation: Automation is changing how we work - for the better

This is the fourth edition in an eight-week series, made possible by MYOB, looking at how technology is changing the way New Zealand businesses operate.

While automation started off as machines handling simple tasks such as washing clothes and dishes, it now covers much more advanced work like picking fruit and driving cars.

In other words, automation is pushing into areas that were once the domain of human workers, and the reason for that is a never ending demand for increased business efficiencies and at times, the inability to find people to do the work.Automation is an accelerating global megatrend […]