Whether you love ‘em, hate ‘em or simply want one as a drinking companion, robots and their cold metallic hearts are here to stay.
And while ‘bots may eventually end up enslaving humanity and leading us into a hopeless, narcotized dystopian future, before that happens, they’re going to work for us … a lot. By some estimates, advancements in robotics could increase global productivity by up to 50% by 2025, leading to an economic impact of somewhere between $1.7 and $2.2 trillion per year.
While those figures may conjure up visions of C-3PO coming to terk our jerbs, the reality is robots will mainly be taking over routine tasks that will allow us to work and produce more efficiently.
Here are five economy-boosting jobs robots may start (or are already) doing so you don’t have to.
Robotic Process Automation
Firms like Xerox already use automated software bots to comb through data, analyze files, read through spreadsheets and emails, and respond appropriately. Luckily, robots can’t get bored, yet.
Customer Service
Virtual agents have taken customer service outsourcing to a whole new level. Robotic agents can provide service while simultaneously automating routine tasks, learn from human interactions and cull customer information from a spectrum of sources to personalize service.
Tending Bar
The Makr Shakr robotic bar system uses two robots, six conveyors and 30 spirits to deliver 120 drinks by muddling, stirring, shaking and straining. While the machine mixes your drink, the bartender will have more time to listen to your troubles.
Airport Security
Thanks to the biometric data that is essential to modern passports and the passports of the future, robots can identify passengers faster and more accurately than humans can. Using automated passport control systems will give TSA agents more time to focus on other aspects of the job, like staring at you menacingly while you put your shoes back on.
Legal Discovery
Many law firms already use robots to handle the time-intensive legal discovery process to examine emails, memos, documents and other pieces of evidence that could be useful in a case.
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