Balancing Automation Integrate and Human Expertise
As Jason Ma recently wrote in an article for Fortune, “More U.S. companies are about to flip the ‘on’ switch when it comes to automating tasks with artificial intelligence.” A new report details Apple’s plans to reduce the number of workers on its iPhone assembly line by 50% in favor of automation.
Automation, Wording Conditions, and Product Quality
Of course, the benefits of integrating more automation are well documented and covered in our previous posts. You have the top perks of greater efficiency and production abilities. But two other less acknowledged pros to automation are improved working conditions and product quality. How to Robot highlighted these two aspects, flagging that over 30% of the automation projects the organization tracks ranked these at the main goals for their operations.
While there is room for that percentage to grow, there is plenty to be realized about the relationships between automation and working environments and product quality. By making conditions safer for employees, automation incorporation has the power to enhance job satisfaction. In turn, companies that utilize automation may be able to cut turnover rates in addition to solving talent shortages. As for product quality, How to Robot points out that “Robots and machines designed to perform a specific task automatically can reach a high precision and consistency that is difficult to achieve with manual processes.” These automation tools can then decrease the amount of human error for more uniform outcomes.
Combing Automation Perks and Human Expertise
Despite the benefits, the increased use of automation such as in the case of Apple also stirs up concerns over job cuts and the elimination of human expertise and intervention. Researchers point out that the best overall strategy to harness the potential of automation and avoid these concerns is to develop a human-robot approach. Using the example of the warehouses and distribution field, not only is having a balance of both presences more cost effective, but it can reduce fatigue levels of employees and offer more autonomy over task choices for staff. In an authored piece for Harvard Business Review, researchers René de Koster and Debjit Roy wrote that, “Our research shows more control increases workers’ productivity as well as their personal commitment, motivation, and job satisfaction.” The key is to bring facility and operation teams into the process when deciding how to integrate automation into their daily and overall workstreams.
Sources:
● “AI automation in the workplace is about to reach a major tipping point” - Jason Ma, Fortune
https://fortune.com/2024/06/22/ai-automation-companies-artificial-intelligence-replace-tasks-human-workers/
● “Apple wants to replace 50% of iPhone final assembly line workers with automation” - Chance Miller, 9to5 Mac
https://9to5mac.com/2024/06/24/iphone-supply-chain-automation-workers/
● “7 Ways Businesses Benefit from Robotics & Automation Today” - How to Robot
● “Research: Warehouse and Logistics Automation Works Better with Human Partners” - René de Koster and Debjit Roy, Harvard Business Review
https://hbr.org/2024/06/research-warehouse-and-logistics-automation-works-better-with-human-partners