June 7, 2021 – Will Knight – Wired
“Automation takes place faster during recessions and sticks thereafter.”
Covid Brings Automation to the Workplace, Killing Some Jobs
A California city gave some residents $500 per month. After a year, the group wound up with more full-time jobs and less depression.
March 3, 2021 – Aria Bendix – Business Insider
The researchers also found that decreases in anxiety, depression, and extreme financial stress encouraged participants to set goals and helped them better cope with unexpected financial setbacks.
Don’t Fear the Robots, and Other Lessons From a Study of the Digital Economy
November 17, 2020 – Steve Lohr – The NY Times
“Robots and A.I. are not about to deliver a jobless future.”
There will be jobs in the future
Axios
“Jobs will return eventually — but they won’t be the same ones we lost.”
FedEx is utilizing robotic arms to sort packages at a Memphis facility
July 17, 2020 – Brian Heater – TechCrunch
“These days, however, the prospect of increased automation seems all the more pressing, as COVID-19 has left many reconsidering the human element of the supply chain.”
The Pandemic Has Accelerated Demands for a More Skilled Work Force
July 13, 2020 -Steve Lohr – The New York Times
“Economists, business leaders and labor experts have warned for years that a coming wave of automation and digital technology would upend the work force, destroying some jobs while altering how and where work is done for nearly everyone.”
Twitter billionaire Jack Dorsey just announced he’ll fund a universal-basic-income experiment that could affect up to 7 million people
July 9, 2020 – Taylor Nicole Rogers – Business Insider
“The coalition says that giving people a guaranteed income could lift people out of poverty and cushion the economic and career blows of the coronavirus crisis.”
Tyson Turns to Robot Butchers, Spurred by Coronavirus Outbreaks
July 9, 2020 – Jacob Bunge & Jesse Newman – The Wall Street Journal
“The pandemic is speeding meatpackers’ shift from human meat cutters to automated ones, but machines can’t yet match people’s ability.”
After the Pandemic, Doctors Want Their New Robot Helpers to Stay
7/9/2020 – James Vincent – The Verge
“These machines have become the vanguard of pandemic automation, with sales for UV cleaning robots booming in recent months.”
Covid-19 could accelerate the robot takeover of human jobs
June 17, 2020 – Erika Hayasaki – MIT Technology Review
“What seemed a little strange to shoppers when Tally arrived a year ago is now, mid–pandemic, not even close to being the most unusual thing happening inside the store.”