The World Economic Forum (WEF) has suggested the world is in the midst of its “Fourth Industrial Revolution” with automated technologies already beginning to drive innovation and business growth. Even further, a recent report by Deloitte claimed that more than a third (35%) of existing jobs in the United Kingdom could be replaced by computers. Is it plausible that computers could automate manual tasks as well as humans?

Today, companies already heavily rely on robotics and intelligent automation. Whether it’s airline check-in desks, self-service check-outs, or vehicle assembly lines, machine automation and learning is already beyond manufacturing; it is in society.

Undoubtedly, the biggest talking point about an era of machine automation is the potential loss of jobs. The WEF predicts that robotic automation could result in 15 developed nations seeing five million people lose their jobs by the next decade. However, what’s rarely reported is the number of new job openings created by automated technologies. Continue reading →