Are robots reshaping the workforce?

As the global population ages and the young and middle-aged workforce decreases, countries are facing a serious labor shortage. At the same time, people are increasingly unwilling to engage in repetitive and boring physical labor. The application of robots and artificial intelligence provides an important means to alleviate this contradiction.

According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), we are in the midst of a decade of major change, in part due to geopolitical events that are fundamentally changing the way we make and deliver products.

This transformation is occurring against the backdrop of changing global demographics, growing demand for e-commerce, and increased demands for sustainability and supply chain resilience, all of which will continue to drive demand for smarter, more efficient robotics and automation in manufacturing and logistics.

A workforce revolution is brewing

According to data, the world is facing a major trend of shrinking labor force.

For example, Japan, which has the most serious aging population, is expected to face a labor shortage of more than 11 million by 2040. Similar forecasts for the United States also show that there will be more than 2.1 million vacancies in the US manufacturing industry by 2030. In Germany, more than half of the companies reported difficulties in recruiting workers earlier this year.

In addition to the reduction in the number of workers, some workers are increasingly resistant to repetitive physical labor. This has led many companies to continue to use intelligent robots to fill this gap.

AI empowers robots to do a lot

Artificial intelligence itself is not new. Machine vision and learning have been applied to robots for many years, and robots enhanced by artificial intelligence are better at completing tasks that humans find difficult, including manual labor, repetitive tasks, tedious work, and high-precision work. Artificial intelligence enables robots to have stronger learning capabilities, learn through experience rather than programming, and can work in complex environments, which has brought a revolutionary leap in the application of robots.

In the manufacturing industry, robots can weld precisely and detect microscopic defects faster and more accurately than humans. In the field of warehousing and logistics, robots can identify different items and pick and pack them at high speed and accurately to meet the needs of e-commerce. Robots also use vision and machine learning to achieve autonomous navigation and can transport items in factories or warehouses without human guidance. AI can even greatly simplify the maintenance and programming of robotic arms by generating optimal motion paths , reducing 90-minute maintenance tasks to 2 seconds...

Smarter robots also help achieve sustainable development goals. They can improve energy efficiency, reduce material waste, and reduce operating costs. In addition, robots and artificial intelligence give companies the flexibility and competitiveness to respond to market changes. For example, automotive painting technology can reduce material waste by up to 60%, and food packaging companies use intelligent automation to reduce plastic use.

Generative artificial intelligence opens up broad prospects for the development of robots.

It can make programming simpler and more efficient, lower the threshold for small and medium-sized enterprises to apply robots, reduce integration barriers, and in the near future, robots may communicate directly with generative artificial intelligence to perform new tasks immediately.

To realize the potential of this technology, we need more extensive cooperation and education in the field of artificial intelligence applications. We need to make the public understand the benefits of robots and AI and use AI correctly without risks; we need to train the existing workforce in new skills and use smart robots to share physical labor; let the younger generation understand the possibilities of artificial intelligence and create new opportunities.

Proper regulation will also encourage a new round of AI innovation. Over the past 50 years, AI has continuously improved the capabilities of robots, enabling them to complete tasks more efficiently, take on new jobs, and work in more scenarios. The new generation of AI will drive this process forward, creating a better working environment for individuals, businesses, and the environment.

Last words

The rapid progress and application of artificial intelligence will accelerate the participation of machines in various complex tasks. This is an inevitable trend of historical progress. How to make full use of this wave of new technological changes is both an opportunity and a challenge.

Many people worry whether the use of robots will lead to large-scale unemployment. It is undeniable that with the development of technology, robots will replace some repetitive and boring jobs, but many new jobs will also be born. There are gains and losses. From a macro perspective, the development of hard technology represented by robots is the trend of the times. In terms of effectively improving production efficiency, robots play a role in making a difference. If we further unleash creativity, I believe that a better digital future is not far away.