“Are humans becoming obsolete in the workforce”, asks Business Insider (March 22, 2011). Some signs say “yes” in a diverse number of areas. By 2013, there will be 1.2 million industrial robots working around the world–about 1 for every 5,000 people. Here are 7 jobs they may be doing:
Pharmacists: The UCSF Med School recently launched its robot-controlled pharmacy at 2 hospitals. They not only pick, pack, and dispense individual doses of prescribed pills, but also compound sterile chemo doses and IV bags with medicines. So far, 350,000 doses with no errors.
Lawyers and paralegals: Software can now review documents in a fraction of the time and cost as an army of lawyers and paralegals. Blackstone Discovery can analyze 1.5 million documents for less than $100,000.
Store clerks: Looking for ways to sell more goods with fewer employees, companies are using more ATM-like machines at banks, airports and McDonald’s— and more self-service check-outs and automated answering systems. In 2010, $740 billion was transacted through self-service machines, up 9% from 2009.The number is expected to rise to $1.1 trillion by 2014.
Soldiers: Drones and other machines are increasingly being used in both reconnaissance and combat missions.The MAARS armed robot, for example, has been used in Iraq to open doors and drag out injured bodies.
Babysitters: Aeon, the Japanese retailer, employs a 4-foot tall yellow and white robot whose job is to babysit children while their parents shop.
Rescuers: The Japanese have also developed a snake-like robot that can reach areas inaccessible to humans to assist in rescuing victims of disasters. Useful in collapsed buildings, the robot can enter tight spaces and use a camera to survey them.
Sportswriters: Even reporters can be replaced according to Narrative Science, which specializes in machine-generated stories. Clients, such as The Big Ten Network, have scorekeepers e-mail game data to the company, which can churn out an article in minutes, at a fraction of the cost of having a person reporting.
Discussion questions:
1. What other areas in OM (see Ch.7) lend themselves to automation?
2. Ask students to name some services that have successfully integrated robotics.
Here are seven more jobs I would like to see robots take over:
1. Lathering my face and shaving me while I am still asleep in the morning. Deluxe models would also apply hot towel.
2. Drive the ball straight down the fairway on the first tee where everyone can see your shot
3. Walk the dog, or at least, clean up after it.
4. Walk my children, or at least, clean up after them.
5. Answer the same old OM questions I get asked every semester. “Dr. Quain, why do good decisions still give you bad results?”
6. Go to committee meetings for me.
7. Post better comments!
Now THAT would be great. Bring on the robots!