One of the guiding principles I have when I do this blog is to tell the truth…even when it hurts. I love the name of Al Gore’s documentary because it describes what I am about to write about – the Inconvenient Truth.
We have an interesting intersection that we are about to come up to, and no one seems to talk about it very much. What are we going to do when technology becomes so compelling – from a functionality standpoint, but more importantly from a cost one – that we have no choice but to fire millions of people and replace them with robots?
In some areas, the use of robotics is very prevalent. Take a look at any modern automotive factory and there are as many robots as there are people, maybe more in some. However, the appeal of robotics never really made it mainstream for a few reasons:
- the jobs were too “dynamic” (not totally repetitive, so the cost of reprogramming the robot was prohibitive)
- the cost of the products being built did not justify the high upfront costs
- the robots were just too big for most applications
Meet Sawyer
At first, you may react like my 4 year-old son did…”he is cute”. He looks like something that the team from Dyson would have made instead of a vacuum. But, don’t kid yourself, for some, he is after your job. His price point (USD $30K) is not nearly as much of an upfront cost as many of his friends. As well, he has flexibility in his “hand” that is superior to most other robots, meaning that he can do much more than ever before. Plus, he doesn’t take sick days, bathroom breaks or gossip about American Idol.
The Bottom Line
Sure, Sawyer does have some limitations given he:
- Does not interact with people well
- Only has one hand (his “older” brother has two, however)
- Does not really think for himself much
However, imagine where the technology will be in 3, 5 or 15 years… imagine what he will be able to do. I think many people should fear Sawyer as he has no feelings towards taking your job. Think of him as the T-1000 of the factory floor, he doesn’t care whom he terminates.
