ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
When automation works against output
Robots are no magic bullet for our country’s productivity and skills shortage woes
By now most people would have heard prophecies of a jobless future where machines do all our work and entire industries are displaced due to robotic automation. In December, a McKinsey Global Institute report found that as many as 375-million workers worldwide may need to switch professions by 2030 due to automation. However, Elon Musk’s capitulation that excessive automation at his Tesla Motors factories directly caused production delays should ring the warning bells for local firms. Robots are no magic bullet for our country’s productivity and skills shortage woes. In fact, technology is most effective when it empowers human performance capability, not when it replaces it. While reports suggest a future where robots take over nearly all aspects of human labour, Tesla’s automotive peers have shown that in many respects there is no replacement for humans as an integral aspect of the manufacturing process. For example, Toyota has relied on human skills at its Georgetown, Kentucky, as...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.