Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

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Half of American jobs at risk of automation, says new report

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industrial robot painting

About half of all jobs in America could be replaced by robotics and automation systems, according to a news story on CNBC.com. 

And as pointed out by CNBC.com, approximately one in four American jobs are at risk of being shipped overseas, which puts three-quarters of all jobs in the US at risk of disappearing or at least changing.

The study the story was based on is How Vulnerable are American Communities to Automation, which was conducted by Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research.

Self-awareness is the key to career survival as jobs get automated, says business psychologist

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self-aware book

Automation is about to do away with millions of jobs. A business psychologist claims he has at least some of the answers 

The good news is that the job you hate is about to be automated. The bad news is that you’re about to be out of work.

“Jobs that cannot be automated are on a very short list,” says Robert Pasick, PhD, an executive coach and organizational psychologist who also teaches at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “If you are afraid to leave the job you hate, it may be about to leave you.”

Journalists fear computers that are already writing news stories. Truck drivers fear self-driving trucks, already carrying freight in controlled experiments. Accounting, lawyering, health care, package delivery, even Uber driver jobs are on the verge of automation.  [Read more…] about Self-awareness is the key to career survival as jobs get automated, says business psychologist

US President Donald Trump pressures automakers to increase production in the US

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By David Shepardson and Roberta Rampton, Reuters

US President Donald Trump pushed the chief executives of General Motors, Ford, and Fiat Chrysler to increase production in the United States and boost American employment.

Trump opened a meeting with GM CEO Mary Barra, Ford CEO Mark Fields and Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne at the White House by saying he wants to see new auto plants built in the United States.

The new Republican president vowed to cut regulations and taxes to make it more attractive for businesses to operate in the United States. He promised frequently during his election campaign to be a job-creating president and stressed that message in his inaugural speech last Friday.  [Read more…] about US President Donald Trump pressures automakers to increase production in the US

Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

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A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters
A “RoboThespian” humanoid robot at the Tami Intelligence Technology stall at the World Robot Conference in Beijing, China. Picture: Reuters

By Martinne Geller and Ben Hirschler, Reuters

Open markets and global trade have been blamed for job losses over the last decade, but global CEOs say the real culprits are increasingly machines.

And while business leaders gathered at the annual World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos relish the productivity gains technology can bring, they warned this week that the collateral damage to jobs needs to be addressed more seriously.

From taxi drivers to healthcare professionals, technologies such as robotics, driverless cars, artificial intelligence and 3D printing mean more and more types of jobs are at risk.  [Read more…] about Job-stealing robots a growing concern for world leaders

General Motors to invest an extra $1 billion in US manufacturing

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gm building

General Motors says it will invest an additional $1 billion into its manufacturing operations in the US, adding to the $2.9 billion of investment it announced last year. 

And in a what may have been an extra comment aimed at President-elect Donald Trump, GM says it has invested a total of $21 billion in its US manufacturing operations since 2009.

Like virtually all other automakers and large manufacturing companies, such as Apple, GM has been the target of some criticism from Trump, who wants to fulfil his campaign promise to bring back manufacturing jobs to the US.  [Read more…] about General Motors to invest an extra $1 billion in US manufacturing

Manufacturing: Trump tempts Toyota with tax break if it builds cars in US instead of Mexico

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toyota mexico
Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto with Toyota North America CEO James Lentz last year during the start of building the facility in Guanajuato

lockAfter apparently pressuring Ford to change its plans to expand its manufacturing operations in Mexico, President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly putting pressure on Toyota to follow suit. 

Ford had intended to build a plant in Mexico, but is now applying the brakes on those plans, according to the Economist.

A couple of days ago, Ford said it would cancel its $1.6 billion project in San Luis Potosí, Mexico and instead invest $700 million in its plant in Michigan, in the US.  [Read more…] about Manufacturing: Trump tempts Toyota with tax break if it builds cars in US instead of Mexico

Artificial intelligence systems replacing finance sector professionals

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ibm brain chip
IBM has developed what it says is a ‘brain-inspired’ chip

More and more people are realising that it’s not just factory jobs the robots are after – it’s your intellectual jobs too. 

In the latest developments, an insurance company in Japan has replaced 34 of its insurance claim workers with artificial intelligence systems.

And the world’s largest hedge fund says it will replace all its managers with AI systems – after it drains the brains of its human employees and distills their knowledge into an algorithm.

Full story at em360tech.com

Foxconn to replace all humans with robots

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Hon Hai Precision, better known as Foxconn, says it will replace all its human workers with robots, according to a report in Futurism.com. 

Quoting DigiTimes.com, Futurism says Foxconn has announced a three-part plan to fully automate its factories in the hope of achieving 30 per cent automation by 2020.

Foxconn currently has about 40,000 robots – or Foxbots – working in its factories. The company says it has the capacity to produce 10,000 Foxbots a year.  [Read more…] about Foxconn to replace all humans with robots

Robotics: The Bay Area and beyond

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san francisco golden gate bridge

By Thomas R. Cutler

While Silicon Valley is renowned for software and design prowess. The Bay Area’s four largest cities – San Francisco, San Jose, Fremont and Oakland – are teaming up to foster today’s manufacturing revival and create more entry-level and middle-class jobs.

Together, these Bay Area cities boast a robust manufacturing sector, sustaining nearly 108,500 jobs across 3,200 manufacturing companies – outpacing both the U.S. and California – and driving more than $55 billion into California’s economy.

In collaboration with nonprofit SFMade, these cities surveyed local manufacturing companies to find out what is most important for the industry; they created the first-ever Bay Area State of Urban Manufacturing Report.  [Read more…] about Robotics: The Bay Area and beyond

Robots eroding employment prospects in developing economies, says UN

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robots making cars
Picture courtesy Stratfor.com

Increasing utilisation of robotics and automation technologies in developed countries is ruining emerging economies around the world, according to a report by the United Nations. 

A policy briefing by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, Robots and Industrialization in Developing Countries, argues that increased use of robots in developed countries erodes traditional labour-cost advantage of developing countries.

The report notes that new technological breakthroughs in computing, robotics and artificial intelligence in advanced economies will result in large numbers of people being made redundant in developing countries.  [Read more…] about Robots eroding employment prospects in developing economies, says UN