Fear of robots taking away jobs is spreading, but is that really the case? Or will increasing automation bring new types of jobs to control and use their productivity? Maybe a little of both, but we don’t need to have a Luddite mentality. The benefits of automation can be sizeable, including performance, quality and speed improvement; error reduction; boosting economic growth and offsetting the declining working-age population.
Think about how robots are already being used today. The military employs them to transport soldiers, allow observations in situations where it would be too dangerous for a soldier to maneuver and defuse bombs. They’re also used in harsh environments, such as space, volcanic areas or mining. What about drones that are used as spy technologies to gather information? Many repetitive manufacturing processes have been automated. All these are examples of robots working alongside, but being controlled by, humans
Much has been written about the coming advent of autonomous cars and trucks, and the dread of job losses in transportation and other industries.
As truck driving is one of the most common jobs in many states, the concern for losses is understandable.
But is automation really to be feared? For every study forecasting disaster, there are others that show that employment is maintained despite advancements in automation. There’s even a website, willrobotstakemyjob.com, that uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a University of Oxford study to try to predict which jobs are most at risk.
McKinsey & Company compiled a report in July 2016 examining the topic and found that the sector and activity influences the potential for automation. While few jobs will be eliminated outright, portions of almost all jobs will be affected to some degree. They based their analysis on five factors: “technical feasibility; costs to automate; relative scarcity, skills and cost of workers who might otherwise do the activity; benefits (superior performance) of automation beyond labor-cost substitution; and regulatory and social acceptance considerations.” (Source: McKinsey & Company)
Every occupation is a combination of multiple types of activities, and it is the individual activity rather than the entire occupation that demonstrates the feasibility for automation. They found that automating predictable physical activities, such as assembly lines where workers perform specific actions, is more feasible than automating changeable physical work, such as forestry.
Chris Spear, president of the American Trucking Association, believes the transportation industry should embrace these opportunities for technological innovation and their potential to improve safety and efficiency. Quoted in Transport Topics, he views automated driving not as driver displacement, but as driver-assist technology enabling them to “move freight more efficiently, learn additional skills and potentially earn more pay.” (Source: Transport Topics)
If improved safety, reduced fuel consumption and emissions, and perhaps less traffic congestion can be generated, Spear believes truck carriers will invest. With 94 percent of crashes attributed to human error by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automated vehicles could reduce accident rates as well.
A May 2017 Washington Post article describes the long-term future vision of a trucker’s job as “more like airline pilots, maneuvering big rigs onto the highway and then flipping on the autopilot for most of the trip, taking over again only when they have to get off the main route.” (Source: The Washington Post)
The full effect of automation will take years, and the pace will vary by industry. Spears sees widespread adoption of driverless technology 20 to 25 years away. While there are myriad difficulties to overcome (consider navigating city streets, fueling the vehicle and regulations), step-by-step adoption will first bring driver-assisted trucks.
“We fully believe drivers have a long-term place in our industry,” Spear said in the Washington Post article. “You’re still going to need them in the cab to do the pickups, to do the deliveries, to navigate the cityscapes. As long as you have other drivers driving cars, you’re going to need drivers in trucks.”
http://lancasteronline.com/jobs/robots-in-transportation/article_7691a346-65b0-11e7-b3a4-d37e8e091221.html
But is automation really to be feared? For every study forecasting disaster, there are others that show that employment is maintained despite advancements in automation. There’s even a website, willrobotstakemyjob.com, that uses data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and a University of Oxford study to try to predict which jobs are most at risk.
McKinsey & Company compiled a report in July 2016 examining the topic and found that the sector and activity influences the potential for automation. While few jobs will be eliminated outright, portions of almost all jobs will be affected to some degree. They based their analysis on five factors: “technical feasibility; costs to automate; relative scarcity, skills and cost of workers who might otherwise do the activity; benefits (superior performance) of automation beyond labor-cost substitution; and regulatory and social acceptance considerations.” (Source: McKinsey & Company)
Every occupation is a combination of multiple types of activities, and it is the individual activity rather than the entire occupation that demonstrates the feasibility for automation. They found that automating predictable physical activities, such as assembly lines where workers perform specific actions, is more feasible than automating changeable physical work, such as forestry.
Chris Spear, president of the American Trucking Association, believes the transportation industry should embrace these opportunities for technological innovation and their potential to improve safety and efficiency. Quoted in Transport Topics, he views automated driving not as driver displacement, but as driver-assist technology enabling them to “move freight more efficiently, learn additional skills and potentially earn more pay.” (Source: Transport Topics)
If improved safety, reduced fuel consumption and emissions, and perhaps less traffic congestion can be generated, Spear believes truck carriers will invest. With 94 percent of crashes attributed to human error by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, automated vehicles could reduce accident rates as well.
A May 2017 Washington Post article describes the long-term future vision of a trucker’s job as “more like airline pilots, maneuvering big rigs onto the highway and then flipping on the autopilot for most of the trip, taking over again only when they have to get off the main route.” (Source: The Washington Post)
The full effect of automation will take years, and the pace will vary by industry. Spears sees widespread adoption of driverless technology 20 to 25 years away. While there are myriad difficulties to overcome (consider navigating city streets, fueling the vehicle and regulations), step-by-step adoption will first bring driver-assisted trucks.
“We fully believe drivers have a long-term place in our industry,” Spear said in the Washington Post article. “You’re still going to need them in the cab to do the pickups, to do the deliveries, to navigate the cityscapes. As long as you have other drivers driving cars, you’re going to need drivers in trucks.”
http://lancasteronline.com/jobs/robots-in-transportation/article_7691a346-65b0-11e7-b3a4-d37e8e091221.html
