I responded recently to a LinkedIn post regarding AI-assisted robotic recycling. The sorting speed is so fast, we almost miss each sort in the blink of an eye. Having observed this same activity attempted by humans — and overlooking the upstream potential to avoid this kind of recycling mess at the source (the wasteful consumer) — I’m all over the potential to pass off these kinds of tasks to machines. Humans doing this work must operate at a much slower pace, risk injury, and are not so precise as the AI robot. And of course, humans must also deal with the stench of garbage; these robots, at least, have no sense of smell to distract them from their work.
Today, smart robots are economically feasible for even small companies, and are increasingly deployed to work in concert with human counterparts. Referred to as co-bots, collaborative robots, these machine counterparts share the work in factories, restaurants, warehouses, operating rooms and offices. Given the advancement of artificial intelligence, robotics and multi-sensing technologies, it seems that eventually, no job will be beyond the capability of robots; science fiction is becoming science fact. With the recently apparent shortage of humans to fill jobs this Labor Day, the role of smart robots is on my mind and leading to some whimsical questions; not so much about doing the work, but improving the work:
Will smart machines, for example, become smart enough to solve problems? Will their designers build into them what Frank and Lillian Gilbreth called “a motion mind,” i.e., will they examine their own motion, or perhaps the motion of other robot team members, to reduce waste? Robots are subject to the same wastes as humans; e.g., in a poor floor layout a robot must travel the same distance to do the job as its human counterpart. Will AI be imbued with algorithms to identify better flow? Will smart robots analyze and improve their standardized work? Will they collaborate with humans and with each other to brainstorm (sort of) and test ideas? Collaborative improvement presumes a harmonization of different perspectives to create a more robust solution than would be available from any single contributor. Referring to Masaaki Imai’s definition of Kaizen (my favorite), can it evolve into this?
In the absence of hands-on human experience of the people who do the work, what context will this definition have? And, what facility can be given to smart robots to create the will to improve, the most basic condition, according to Shigeo Shingo, for improvement. So-called human qualities such as “constructive dissatisfaction with the status quo” are not necessary to do the job, but are fundamental to improving the job. Joseph Weizenbaum, an early AI pioneer, argued that such qualities are not transferrable to machines. While his AI psychoanalyst simulation, Eliza (Circa, 1966), was designed to mimic a therapist’s response to human discourse, Weizenbaum warned that “no computer, can be made to confront genuine human problems in human terms.” This warning has been echoed ever since in dystopian science fiction literature and cinema. How much longer will this be fiction?
These whimsical questions may not be immediately relevant. In a world where there is currently a shortage of humans to fill jobs, robots offer a practical solution. As I write this post, there are currently twice as many job openings in the U.S. as job applicants. While much attention has been given to the acute shortage, the rate of U.S. population growth (Fig. 1) has decreased steadily since 1990 and is nearly flatlined, with many states showing a net decrease in population. No doubt, the people shortage has been exacerbated by COVID-19, but the issue is chronic.
In view of this persistent need, what might we expect from the inexorable evolution of science fiction to science fact? With the current pace of technical advancement and likely long-term labor shortage, what will dissuade employers from replacing most human labor with robots? Rosie the Robot, after all is an investment, while Rosie the Riveter is a variable expense; they each hit the bottom line very differently. The allure of a productive resource that is apparently tireless, reliable and requires no benefits may simply be overwhelming – almost too good to be true. In the words of pioneer systems thinker Russell Ackoff,
“Managers are incurably susceptible to panacea peddlers. They are rooted in the belief that there are simple, if not simple-minded, solutions to even the most complex of problems. And they do not learn from bad experiences. Managers fail to diagnose the failures of the fads they adopt; they do not understand them.”
While AI and Robotics are surely not panaceas, applying them as a total solution may just be. I visited a company recently, for example, that utilizes smart robots to move inventory miles between multiple storage locations rather than improving layout to consolidate stockrooms. An engineer bragged to me “We even programmed it to ride the elevator.” Dr. Shingo called this superficial improvement, automating waste rather than eliminating it.
For those of us who subscribe to Taiichi Ohno’s idea that “95% of the elapsed time between paying and getting paid” is waste, the current labor shortage presents a huge impetus to develop an army of problem solvers to eliminate it – a workforce with the will and creativity to reap greater benefits from Lean. While the vision of TPS is human development, certainly this includes thoughtful use of IoT, just as it has included mechanization and automation. But will Lean thinking inform the designers of AI? Will they go to the Gemba to learn? Will they regard employees as the most valuable resource? Will they be systemic thinkers? Or will they, as Shigeo warned, just be table engineers or catalog engineers, distant from the process and perhaps a little too enamored of the technology? That story is not yet written. Will it be as dystopian as the science fiction predicts, or a golden age for productivity and human development? And how can Lean thinkers influence the latter?
What do you think? Please share some thoughts.
O.L.D.
P.S. Speaking of human development, I hope you’ll be able to join us on September 28-29 in Springfield, Massachusetts, for the 18th Annual Northeast L.E.A.N. (Lead, Enable And Nurture) Conference. Four great keynotes, four tracks of breakout sessions, a Lean Lounge with poster presentations, and a Lean After Dark networking session. AND – if you can’t make it in person, all sessions will be live-streamed on Whova and recorded for later viewing. You can check out the agenda here: Conference Agenda.
Robots will need to be programmed to help eliminate or remove waste – not automate it. This is a good read on the topic -https://noahpinion.substack.com/p/american-workers-need-lots-and-lots?r=qka26&s=r&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Bruce fabulous guidance. Finally we integrate all our disparate systems and technologies!
This was a great read. I really liked some of the points that were brought up, with the increase of jobs and the decrease of people willing to join the workforce how will we fill these empty holes? With the help of AI/ Robotics we can create value without human error/ risks and the need to train people, saving time and money. I recently saw a post on a robotic cube storage system being implemented in warehouses to save space and reduce human error while increasing operation efficiency. I think that within the next few years we will see some amazing advancements.
This was a great read, I really liked some of the points you made. With the increase in jobs available and the continuous decrease in people willing to join the workforce, how will we fill these empty holes? With the help of AI/ Robotics we can create value without human error/ work risks and the need to train, while saving time and money. I recently saw a post on a new cube robotic storage system being implemented into warehouses in order to increase storage space/ efficiency and decrease human error while also increasing operation efficiency. I think that within the next few years we will see some amazing advancements.
Great post!
I liked how you brought up the struggles to find employees and how there are so many jobs open these days. I agree that robots or machines can solve a lot of problems, but I think they would work best at the types of jobs you mentioned like sorting recycling or moving material in the stock room. I liked the point you made when you quoted Weizenbaum: “no computer, can be made to confront genuine human problems in human terms.” I hope this will not become fiction anytime soon because humans have no limit when it comes to creativity and I feel like robots do since they are programed to think a certain way. This does not mean I don’t think they will advance amazingly in the future, I bet they will, but I do not think they can take the place of humans when it comes to creative thinking.
Great Post!
I like how you brought up the decrease in employees and the increase of jobs recently. I agree that robots and machines would be beneficial for stock rooms and sorting recycling. I think that those types of jobs are all they should do considering they do not think as widely or creatively as humans. I like the quote you added by Weizenbaum that “no computer, can be made to confront genuine human problems in human terms.” I hope this does not become fiction anytime soon because I think the world would be a dull place if robots took over most jobs and they did not have some creative human thinking involved.
It is very interesting to read about the future of the workforce with the new technology. This past summer I worked in a warehouse that dealt with picking a lot of different pieces. We try to introduce technology to help with the footpath to make the system flow as smoothly as possible. I certainly think adding AI robots will help in this cause because they don’t get tired and can remain at the same pace. I also think that it will hurt the economy because a ton of people will lose their jobs if this becomes a mainstream tool to help businesses.
This was such an interesting post it was awesome to learn about where the technology in the business world is heading today. Over this past summer I had the opportunity to work at Welch’s Fruit snacks and even got to go on a factory tour where I got to see the new machinery in action. Some machines I got to see specifically for our company were Moguls, Tishmas and personally my favorite was the Delcor machine because it automatically packed fruit snack boxes at a rapid pace. With that being said these automated machines are crucial to a company because it saves an immense amount of labor time and production increases juristically. It is imperative though that a company keeps its balance because there is still a direct need with people and the technology.
I found this article to be very interesting. This made me think about all the opportunities we would have if AIs had the ability to increase their awareness and improve their functions. This could lead to short lead times, faster packaging, and shipping, faster receiving and unloading times. There is an endless amount of opportunity we could have with the assistance of AI Robots. This summer I worked in a distribution center and there were plans to incorporate robotics into their system and I would let to see how it turns out. There could have a positive and negative impact on our economy. A positive impact because there is a work shortage everywhere and companies cannot hire people. It would in turn make wages increase for those who employee people.
Great post! I am very interested in the idea of AI assisting to solve the labor shortage. I believe that using technology is the best way we can advance in manufacturing to make the process as efficient as possible. During my internship, I noticed how much AI is used already when it comes to manufacturing and how much it decreases tedious tasks. Do you believe there will be a rapid increase in AI related jobs in the upcoming years?
I really enjoyed this post! A quote that specifically stuck out to me was “its not so much about doing the work, but improving the work”. That is an important statement to remember when implementing AI technologies into our supply chains. The goal is not to take jobs away, but enhance the ones that already exist and leave room for greater innovations and thinking. Specifically, I recently attended a Supply Chain exhibition and came across fascinating start-ups that were rooted in AI. Coincidentally, they were all hiring. AI helps the labor shortage, and assists those who also want to work.
This is a strange time to be alive, especially to be entering the workforce! I am not worried about robots taking over yet, but things are certainly seeming to head in that direction.
This article was on point with all that I hear these days about AI and robotics. The robots might be able to replace so many jobs that are held by people now and they can be even more efficient than the people that are currently working. However, I do not think that these robotics will be able to always make processes more efficient. Sometimes having real people doing these tasks is more beneficial. Such as the new technology of automated trucks to compensate for the truck driver shortage. Do you think this is reliable or is this a role that humans still need to occupy?
This article brought up some very interesting points about what companies are looking to do with AI and robots. In relation to the AI assisted recycling robot, this is a great example of how we can benefit from the use of automated machines to help fill the holes that companies cannot hire because of the decline in workers. This type of job can be done more efficiently by AI, but I also am curious to see if the automated machines can accurately sort different plastics and be able to separate plastics into different categories. In addition to this, if the US population were to increase once again and the number of workers were to outnumber the jobs available, would we be willing to get rid of automated machines to allow humans to take those positions? This could help boost the economy, but companies would have a hard time getting rid of automated machines if they are more efficient and better workers than humans.
This was a really interesting read! I always considered increasing A1 and robots as an advantage for companies, especially considering the ongoing staffing shortage that this article mentioned. However, I never considered the human attributes that robots might not be able to replace. I believe that it does take a human mind to notice the faults in a process and think of creative ways to improve them. In many of my jobs for example, I am always thinking of ways I can improve the way I work and complete my daily tasks. I think robots would simply get the job done but never consider opportunities for improvement. In a such a fast paced world, continuous improvement is so important.