It was still early days for the technology. Then came the epidemic. When demand for e-commerce skyrocketed and labor shortages intensified, robots powered by artificial intelligence (AI) became a requirement. In areas such as fashion, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and supermarkets numerous firms working on developing the software to manage these robots claim they’re witnessing a rapid increase in demand. In the past, customers used AI-powered robots as part of a pilot program, but now they’re looking to fully integrate them into their production lines.

A new wave of automation

More and more warehouses have been automated in the online retailing and shipping industries during the past decade. Kiva Systems, a Massachusetts-based robotics business, was acquired by Amazon in 2012. The company makes autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), which are used to move shelves of merchandise around. AMRs designed by Vecna Robotics, a Massachusetts-based business, began being deployed by FedEx in 2018. A massive grid of robots flying along iron scaffolding at Caddo’s highly automated fulfillment center in Andover, England, garnered headlines the same year. In spite of this, these early waves of automation came predominantly in the form of automated medical records (AMRs). To move an object from point A to point B is one of the simplest robotic problems to tackle. In contrast, it’s considerably more difficult for robots to manipulate goods so they can be taken off shelves and bins, or boxed and bagged the way human workers do with their hands. However, both businesses are already working with customers on more complex motions such as auto-bagging which requires robots to work on crinkly, fragile, or translucent fabrics. A few years all tasks that formerly required human intervention could be automated to some extent.

To take use of these new possibilities, several corporations have already begun rebuilding their warehouses to make the most of them. In Knapp’s case, the company is rearranging its floor plan and rerouting goods to take into account whatever type of worker — robot or human — is best at handling certain products. Items that robots can’t pick, such as marbles or delicate pottery, are routed to human pickers via a central routing algorithm. Home products and school supplies would be sent to a robot-staffed station. This does not imply that all warehouses will be automated in the near future.  But the latest automation push raises concerns about the impact on jobs and workers. Researchers have a better idea of what to expect from previous rounds of automation since they have more historical data. For the first time, a recent study that looked at how automation affects organizations at the firm level revealed companies who used robots early became more competitive and grew faster, which prompted them to hire more employees.

Amazon and FedEx workers have already seen that professions for humans would be different in the future, though. Jobs like packing boxes and bags will be supplanted by new ones, some directly related to maintaining and overseeing robots, others as a result of completing more orders, which would necessitate expanding logistical operations and delivery networks.  As a result of this, instead of trying to avoid automation, experts suggest it’s better to help workers re skill and provide new prospects for professional advancement. According to Chui, the number of workers in some countries is already declining due to the aging population. “Over the past 50 years, more people have worked, which has contributed to half of our economic development, and that trend will continue.” As a result, increasing productivity is a must, and these technologies can assist.