Tag: robot

Automation creates jobs in Mexico, but it also reduces wages, new study suggests

Automation creates jobs in Mexico, but it also reduces wages, new study suggests

Automation in the manufacturing sector is more likely to create new jobs in Mexico than increase unemployment, however, the trend will lead to a decline in wages even when other countries have experienced the opposite effect, according to a new report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Mexico combines significant automation in the automotive sector (accounting for 20% share of manufacturing employment in 2015), more modest automation in electronics (about 12% of manufacturing employment), and virtually no robot usage in textiles and apparel (9% of manufacturing employment), says the study (PDF format) .

In the automotive sector […]

What will the new jobs look like?

What will the new jobs look like?

For the first time in history, technological disruption is likely to impact all the different job types—skill-based, rule-based and analytical—equally and at the same time. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint Last week, I was speaking at a conference on the future of work and I got into a bit of an argument with the rest of the panel as to whether the future will in fact be bleak as they were making it seem. I know that the data doesn’t look good. As much as 65% of the Indian population is of a working age and over the next 15 years, […]

‘Manufacturing will not create jobs, India must look elsewhere’

'Manufacturing will not create jobs, India must look elsewhere’

Adair Turner has been a banker, a director of the McKinsey management consultancy, visiting professor at the London School of Economics, and chairman of the UK’s financial services authority. He has worked on some of the most pressing issues of our time, including global financial stability, climate change, inequality. His current work focuses on the growing global jobs crisis, and on Monday, Turner was in Bengaluru to deliver a talk on `Capitalism and Robots’ as part of a lecture series of the Azim Premji University. He also spoke separately to TOI on the issue.

You appear worried about the […]

5 Myths About Artificial Intelligence (AI) You Must Stop Believing

5 Myths About Artificial Intelligence (AI) You Must Stop Believing

Very few subjects in science and technology are causing as much excitement right now as artificial intelligence (AI). In a lot of cases this is good reason, as some of the world’s brightest minds have said that it’s potential to revolutionize all aspects of our lives is unprecedented.

On the other hand, as with anything new, there are certainly snake-oil salesmen looking to make a quick buck on the basis of promises which can’t (yet) be truly met. And there are others, often with vested interests, with plenty of motive for spreading fear and distrust.

So here is a run-through of […]

I Am Not A Robot, I Am A Human Being

As technological innovations increasingly edge into the workforce, many people fear that robots and machines are destined to take jobs humans have held for decades. Over the last two decades, automation has replaced blue collar jobs in manufacturing and warehousing, and now white collar jobs are increasingly under threat.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is so concerned about the impact robots might have on employment that he has suggested corporations pay a robot tax for roles that replace humans with robots. Robots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are going to have a profound impact on many occupations and robotic process automation […]

Tech companies will guide society in artificial intelligence age: Microsoft CEO

Tech companies will guide society in artificial intelligence age: Microsoft CEO

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella addresses the company’s Ignite conference in Orlando, where he explained his views on an AI-infused future. Brian Smale Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella has said it will be down to technology giants to define ethics in the coming era of artificial intelligence, and to plan developments so that society is not left bereft by automation-led unemployment.

Speaking at his company’s annual Ignite and Envision events in Orlando, Mr Nadella fielded questions about the human impact of Microsoft’s ongoing development of AI, and warned governments could eventually be required to pay citizens to perform different, human-centric tasks.

While […]

Robot revolution to boost jobs in London but not in the North

Robot revolution to boost jobs in London but not in the North

Robots are set to create jobs in London with more demand for managers and IT staff, but cut jobs in administrative work and even accountancy across much of the rest of the country Credit: John Phillips/Getty Images The forthcoming robot revolution threatens to exacerbate the North-South divide, creating jobs in London and the South East, but destroying those elsewhere in the country, an economic think tank has warned.

Automation will boost demand for managers and IT workers, but trigger job losses even in skilled trades and some traditional professions.

Overall, there should be no net loss of jobs but there will […]

Plan for the dispensable human

Plan for the dispensable human

Governments have to formulate suitable policies to protect ‘human’ interests over ‘machine’ interests.

Steam engines, electricity and computer-mediated communications technologies drove the first, second and third industrial revolutions, which progressively transformed the workplaces and radically altered our lives. However, irrespective of the magnitude of the technological evolution, machines always stayed imbecile and, therefore, required humans to instruct and run them.

But for the first time in human history, we are staring at the prospect of the emergence of cognitive machines that have the potential to edge out humans entirely from the workplace. Workplaces the world over, whether they are […]

Are Robots An Employment Problem Or An Income Problem?

Are Robots An Employment Problem Or An Income Problem?

I want to leave aside for this post about robots the question of whether or not they will take all of our jobs. Instead, I want to focus on what kind of a problem that will be. In a recent presentation , Betsey Stevenson argues there are two questions presented by automation and robots: Employment question: Can we find fulfilling ways to spend our time? Income question: Can we find a stable and fair distribution of income? This is a good way to think about it. Stevenson worries more about the second than the first, writing: I am confident […]

WFSGI Manufacturers Forum delves into a digital world

WFSGI Manufacturers Forum delves into a digital world

The upcoming WFSGI World Manufacturers Forum this year focuses on digitalisation, automation, disruptive technologies and innovation – and will offer delegates the chance to take part in a tailor-made guided tour around Productronica, the world-leading trade fair for electronics development and production.

The fifth such event organised by the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI) is titled ‘Moving on to a digital and automated business of the future,’ and takes place on 14-15 November at the Munich Trade Fair Center (Messe München).

The event picks up on themes from previous years, which have most recently looked at ‘Beyond Lean […]