We’ve spent many words on this blog talking through new Industrial IoT technologies, hardware and software, and the way that the status quo has shifted to demand better connectivity, smarter infrastructure, and better access to real-time data across the spectrum.
Where we haven’t spent much time is considering the economic impact these technologies will have on the average person. Without looking too far into the future, we can already see the impact of a more automated workforce. With that in mind, and on top of all our other daily worries, do we need to be worried about robots stealing our paychecks in the future?
Eric Brynjolfsson, recently presented a TED Talk about this very topic, but unlike the sci-fi fear mongers, Eric had a different approach. Brynjolfsson suggests we stop trying to compete with machines and focus in on how they can complement our work-life. It’s true today it takes less people to get the job done. This shift to automation is forcing companies to rethink infrastructure and think more about speed, efficiency and overall time. This isn’t the time to reinvent the wheel, it’s time to think about how that wheel can be tweaked to operate more smoothly and consistently over time.
Now, before you let your imagination run wild of a robot powered world, that will be lucky to be apart of, take a moment and watch Brynjolfsson’s TED Talk.
Not to worry there is still hope, you may not have to hand over your paychecks to tomorrow’s robots, just yet!