Artificial Intelligence in Factories And Industrial Settings
Despite some worrying concerns regarding the potential for AI in factories increasing levels of unemployment, large manufacturers are embracing artificial intelligence to help improve their efficiency and reduce human error. AI in factories has already started to have an impact on businesses in different sectors, with automotive companies, food processing and cosmetic companies amongst those most at risk. These industries are experiencing a great deal of productivity loss as workers are forced to adapt to a new and more efficient work model. In the past robots have been used to perform menial tasks that would not be carried out by humans, however, artificially intelligent androids have started to replace these so that these tasks can be performed more effectively.
Robots In Industry
Industrial robots are now able to do a number of tasks that would once only be executed by people, for example, they can be programmed to perform precise movements or to perform specific tasks automatically, helping to cut down on production time. As well as reducing production time, this allows factories to make use of the most up-to-date equipment which minimises downtime and is also much more cost effective than traditional machinery. Additionally, factory automation provides a safer working environment as there is no longer a need for dangerous chemicals or objects to be around. In addition, real-time data collection from robots can also help factories find problems and fix them, something that could not be done manually.
However, despite the potential benefits of this technology, some specialists believe that the impact of artificial intelligence will be far-reaching and far greater than most people imagine. For instance, many believe that it will lead to a situation where human workers may become obsolete. They may then undergo a transitional period, moving from being workers in a company to employees in a company, or even a contractor employee hired by another company completely. The future certainly does look grim for those whose livelihoods rely on full-time manual labour, especially considering the huge costs of unionised labour in today’s world.
How Is AI Being Used?
Will the use of artificial intelligence in Chinese factories result in the complete eradication of manual workers? This is one of the most controversial debates currently taking place between technological experts in the fields of robotics, artificial intelligence software developers. One such team of experts is from the University of California, Berkeley. In a paper published in May of 2021, the group claimed that their research had proved that a major effect of high-speed rail expansion was to reduce the productivity of workers. According to the researchers, a set of new workers, having little knowledge of industrial robotics, would quickly adapt to the increased pace of work. Furthermore, they argue that this would lead to the loss of more jobs for higher paid skilled workers in the short term, but would soon be followed by the outsourcing of these positions to cheaper labour abroad.
Meanwhile, other experts, led by John McCarthy of Stanford University, have claimed that artificially intelligent programs can perform as well or better than humans at tasks which are crucial for the productivity of modern factories. For example, he says that the widespread use of AIs at manufacturing plants around the world will reduce the time needed to deliver products to consumers and thus increase profitability. AI can now take over repetitive tasks in such a way that human workers are no longer required to do them, in order to increase efficiency. Further research into AIs may provide factory owners with a better understanding of how to make use of AI technologies in their factories.
Future Use And Implementation Of AI
However, both sides of the argument remain divided, even though they agree on the basic tenets of artificial intelligence, especially in factories. AI researchers claim that their software programs will soon be able to do all the tasks that are currently carried out by human workers. On the other hand, some specialists believe that AIs are not yet capable of such feats as typing an article or finishing a report. The debate will continue, until we reach the ultimate stage when artificial intelligence is capable of doing everything that a human could ever do. When that day comes, we may find that the artificial intelligence of the future was developed using available resources, which proves that artificially intelligent machines will have benefited from both sides of the argument.
