What jobs do we actually want the robots to take off our hands? Boring, tedious jobs, for sure. Walmart is deploying shelf-scanning robots to 50 stores on a trial basis. The robots are expected to browse the aisles and take inventory of items on shelves, identifying depleted items, misplaced items, and overlooked price changes.
The technology is expected to complement shelf-stockers rather than replace them. That is, the robot will collect better and more-prompt information about what is on the shelves, and then humans will come by the exact shelf location and re-stock the shelf with the correct amount. Apparently taking inventory is thankless and tedious work that can be automated, while the actual use of hands and eyes to move physical packages onto shelves is an overwhelmingly human behaviour, at least for now.
The video produced by Walmart explains the technology itself, then wraps up with the following statement:
“When we combine the passion of our people with the power of technology the possibilities are endless.“
While it sounds like a corporate-speak motherhood statement, these words are truer than you can imagine. The empathy of human sales staff has an outsized impact on customer engagement, and as such the jobs which are most immune to technological disruption are those that deliver the human element of the customer experience.
So if you’re feeling blue and bewildered about all of the rapid technological change in the world, put on your happy face, make eye contact with someone you can help, and offer a hand. It might actually improve your job security, directly. Knowing you’re more secure, your smile might turn real.
Stuart Murray Speaks 