Retail serfs to vanish, all thanks to automation About 80 per cent of jobs in retail transportation, warehousing and logistics and 63 per cent of jobs in sales are at risk of disappearing, thanks to increasingly capable automated systems. This bleak news – for workers, though not necessarily for employers – comes from Oxford researchers Carl Benedikt Frey, co-director for …
The graduate with a Science degree asks, "Why does it work?"
The graduate with an Engineering degree asks, "How does it work?
The graduate with an Accounting degree asks, "How much will it cost?"
The graduate with a Liberal Arts degree asks, "Do you want fries with that?"
It turns out, at least in the US, the majority of people who sign up for liberal arts degrees go on to get a graduate degree in some other field -- business or law, often. And it's perfectly possible to end up at McDonalds with a science degree, I've seen it happen many times.
Actually, the guy with a liberal arts degree asks 'Do I need to hire a science, engineering or accounting graduate for this?'
A liberal arts degree pays shit only if you go for a job in that discipline. However, people with degrees in medieval poetry might end up running banks and government ministries. A liberal arts degree shows you can think analytically and deal with and in heaps of BS. There's demand for those skills.
I suggest you look up McDonalds Phoenix Arizona, that went robotic around March this year, with o ly 25000 to follow if it's successful.
Remembering an earlier Reg story, you can't wave an AR15 at a robot to impress it much
For all the serfs that don't have a decent degree, get used to toiling in the fields and sharing a turnip for Sunday lunch, the degree holders will be able to have a potato with the turnip, PhDs will get a spoonful of gravy too.
After all with no one working who will pay the taxes to keep those unemployed alive?
Then how will all those unemployed people be able to afford to buy all that 'tat' from the likes of Amazon?
Has Bezos thought about this? Could he be cutting his order supply off just to save a few pennies getting stuff shipped and sent?
He probably don't care as he'll be retired to his Island in the sun that is staffed entirely by Robots.
Asimov will be turning in his grave.
Seems no especial reason why a robot shouldn't pay the tax and national insurance contributions of the worker it replaces.
Ethically you may be right but economically you'd be discouraging productivity improvements and continue to play workers off against robots, which is likely to drive wages down further.
So are these robots also going to go out and spend their hard earned cash on WD40 and silicon lube like the good little consumers that humans have been up to now?
The current model of economics is based on consumerism, automation is going to move more money into the pockets of bosses and shareholders, a smaller consumer base who will have to spend like crazy to maintain the economic status quo.
Of course I could be wrong but I would like to know how else it might work.
How and what are you supposing is taxed on robots in replacement of people? Think about every mechanism every person and machine, factory is a "robot".
Tax the company. Tax the business. Tax the whatever. Just be careful what and why, for definitions. Else someone could just have 1 employer press "yes/no" to the entire factory to class as "manual" work.
Wait, I think I saw that tax avoidance scheme... that's why Homer never lost his job! :D https://youtu.be/R_rF4kcqLkI
"Of course I could be wrong but I would like to know how else it might work."
There was a sci-fi story a while ago that postulated such an automated society. Only hairdressing remained a human job.
The essence of the system was a large factory which automatically produced everything - and its waste heat was also recycled. All overseen by one man. Then the position became occupied by a "rebel" who tried various strategies to cause the plant to fail. First overproduction - then letting it fall silent until the stocks were used up.
Anyone know title and author?
There's also the depressing reality that in the UK, in some areas automation is being phased out in favour of very cheap labour.
@Korev
I came here to post just this, so have an upvote.
It is cheaper to get the (I think Albanian, judging by the football tops of choice) hand car wash guys to wash my car (it's quite a large 'SUV' jobby) than it is to have the premium wash form the local tesco (automated) car-wash.
That's not because it should be, it's because the poor bastards are willing to do it for whatever pittance they are being chucked by the owner.
> 63 per cent of jobs in sales are at risk of disappearing, thanks to increasingly capable automated systems
However, that will be more than made up for by the rise in demand for call centre operators. People to answer calls complaining that they were sold the wrong thing, that it doesn't do what they thought it should, that it doesn't work with the other gizmos they have or that the instructions are gibberish.
The problem (well known to owners of HiFi shops since at least the 1980's) is that customers go to "posh" shops to ask about stuff, see it demonstrated, decide which one they like, then bugger off to get it cheaper from a discounter or online outlet.
However, that will be more than made up for by the rise in demand for call centre operators.
You jest. I've worked for a big call centre business, and the forward plan is entirely about "moving customers to a digital relationship". In practice this is about making more money by cutting costs, and specifically that the majority of call centres will be closed. You'll be expected to interact by computer, tablet or smartphone, and even if you ring them up, it will all be IVR ("press 6 to continue circling our confusing and unhelpful menus"), recorded and synthesized speech responses.
It's call "showrooming"
It'll be the death of the highstreet, and it's something i'm guilty of for almost every purchase that goes above £100.
I do my research online, head to the shop or shops that stock my top 3 items on the list. Have a poke and feel of them.
Then, in most cases, it's back to the internet to find the best deal on the one you've settled on.
The future of the highstreet is basically to function as a warehouse and a showroom for big online entities.
Nah - the sooner they are automated the better. It's already happening.
Tried ringing the Inland Revenue lately? Piss poor voice recognition software with the intelligence of a re-entrant telephone tree.
Just wait till someone integrates the two.
Pro Tip.
Swearing at the system doesn't work. But confessing nicely to the poor abused human you finally get through to that you've just seriously verbally abused their computer system often makes their day.
Pro Tip 2.
Try making animal noises. The computer seems to think it's speaking to someone high up in the IR or the grubbyment, and you get put through to a human.
"How about a campaign against self service tills?"
I only use them if I'm buying three items or less* otherwise the probability of it failing to recognise something is too great to be bothered with.
*For the would-be but ill-guided pedants that signifies a lesser number.
The last time I was in B&Q all the self-service tills appeared be cards only - no longer any cash facility.
It is surprising how many suppliers insist on limiting the buyer's options. Wickes DIY online ordering needs a phone number before the order will progress. Fair enough for the driver to give a warning of the imminent delivery - but it will apparently only accept mobile numbers.
Good news
for the educated among us
Crap news for those (and theres lots more of them) who aren't educated
Now there's a short-sighted (and undeservedly smug) outlook.
Not least that the more 'educated' you are, often means advanced specialisation in one field, but once all the unskilled and semi-skilled work was been moved to parts of the world where the cost of paying humans amounts to less, they'll be turning to the skilled positions.
"[...] once all the unskilled and semi-skilled work was been moved to parts of the world where the cost of paying humans amounts to less, they'll be turning to the skilled positions."
Government minister Priti Patel wants EU immigrant workers replaced by those from the Indian subcontinent. The Indian government is making that part of any post-BREXIT trade deal.
I don't see those workers coming to pick crops in East Anglian fields.
The Register 
Biting the hand that feeds IT
Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024
