We’ve
been led to believe that the human race will be left to fend for itself in a
dystopian future made up of dancing humanoids that can climb stairs and serve
us Jägerbomb cocktails.
The
beginning of the end all started with Asimo, the humanoid robot developed by
car manufacturer Honda. The friendly looking robot precariously climbed, and
subsequently fell down, a flight of stairs as far back as 2006. Despite this,
developers kept at it and we’ve seen all kinds of robots since. From a troupe
of miniature robots busting a move on the dance floor to more full sized
robotic bartenders that can tirelessly serve drinks all night, surely the
future of the human workforce hangs in the balance?
This
is simply not true. While the robotisation of our manufacturing sectors will
continue to deliver improvements in efficiency, it’s the development of
software automation in financial services, healthcare, logistics, retail, and
defence that will truly transform our society and enhance – not replace – us
mere humans.
Combine
artificial intelligence with cloud computing and you create powerful software
that can sort emails by keyword, create appointments in your calendar,
translate languages and convert files on the fly, as well as track down leads.
In essence, business automation creates the possibility of offices free from
repetitive administrative tasks. They become processes to be completed
automatically, without demanding valuable employee attention.
While
this may help to streamline a company’s procedures, it does not necessarily
assuage fears of robotic replacement in the workforce. After all, if software
can complete administrative tasks in a matter of moments, then what purpose
will an administration team serve?
In
this instance, employees in these roles will adapt into a number of new
positions from human resources (HR) to customer service – both of which will
see them aided in their job by software itself.
HR
departments, for example, could turn to tools such as Parker Software’s Think Automation
product for employee engagement functionality. These tools allow HR personnel
to monitor employee satisfaction while also highlighting areas for improvement.
This is all done through remotely accumulated and analysed data, eliminating the
need for lengthy staff surveys and manual data analysis.
Unlike
the unavoidable visual impact robots will have on the working landscape,
software automation will quietly run in the background to simply make our
working day easier. Imagine a situation where a new customer contacts a
business asking for a product demo. Software automation will read the email,
pick out the keywords ‘demo’ and ‘appointment’, update the CRM database with
the customer’s details and book in an appointment with the best person who’s
free on that day.
And
no, you don’t need to worry that you’ll be out of a job. After all, no amount
of automation will replace the value of the human touch in all aspects of
business and life. Although, it might be able to recommend a good cocktail on a
Saturday night!