People have been discussing the implications of artificial intelligence and other new automated technologies on America’s employment market since ChatGPT hit the globe by storm last autumn. The idea that “robots are snatching our jobs” was bolstered further by viral videos showing new, “totally automated” McDonald’s and Taco Bell locations.
The immediate reaction to these films is to fear that robots will take our jobs; however, while AI and other forms of automation have advanced, this does not necessarily imply that they will eliminate jobs. Instead, new technology is merely altering how we work and the types of employment that exist. Behind screens, machinery, and charming robot faces, automation technology has brought in a fleet of covert laborers. Robots and chat-bots do not replace humans; they just keep them out of sight and out of mind. While disconnecting customers from the staff who serve them may benefit the firms, there is emerging evidence that it is a bad bargain for the employees.
The famous robot operated Mcdonlads video
In many cases, these films and tales — and the concerns they inspire — are devoid of critical context. The future McDonald’s is a concept shop outside of Fort Worth, Texas, that aims to increase service speed and accuracy by effectively disconnecting the contact between its employees and customers. However, this does not imply that there are no humans in the store. If you watch the video closely, you can see a worker in the rear behind a pane of glass. McDonald’s has stated that the store is not “totally automated,” and that it employs a similar number of employees as a typical location.
This is a fully automated McDonald’s. No employees. Just robots. I’m going to miss those McDonald’s fight videos 😭 pic.twitter.com/ljtvlqHQsA
— Def Noodles (@defnoodles) December 22, 2022
Even if these tools appear to be more advanced, this isn’t the first time a robot-driven freak-out has occurred. Less than a decade ago, new technological breakthroughs sparked a similar worry that robots were on their way to humans. According to a 2014 study, automation will remove 47% of all occupations by 2034, and self-driving technology would abolish the need for human taxi and delivery drivers, while long-haul truckers are on borrowed time.
People frequently overlook the extent to which robots still require human beings to function in the midst of the fear-mongering about a robot takeover. Consider customer service: Businesses have been attempting to minimize expenses for years by replacing human phone conversations with chat-based, automated customer-service bots. However, rather than replacing customer service representatives, many of these text-based technologies still rely on human backups in difficult scenarios and to give consumers the impression that they are speaking with a real person.
What about corporate jobs
Companies will tell you that the automation drive is all about efficiency and better servicing consumers. McDonald’s says that its concept shop would improve service and result in fewer incorrect orders, but Tesla claims that automated data labeling is more efficient. The assumption is that these robots or software solutions would make a work faster or better, making life simpler for businesses and customers alike. However, these technologies do not make the process more efficient; they simply transfer the necessary labor away from the end user and detach individuals from the effort required to provide a product.
AI is positioned as providing different sorts of empowerment and liberation: we will be able to work more effectively, spend less time performing chores, and whatever we desire will be a click or touch away. However, such promises seldom give an honest picture of how that technology is reshaping our society or the full cost of those ostensible benefits. Automation may empower some individuals, but it makes life far more difficult for unseen employees who keep everything running.
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