Alex Garden of Zume Pizza on progressive automation & how food robots can create jobs for humans | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Progressive automation is being implemented without eliminating jobs. Companies invest in retraining employees to take on new roles and anticipate the creation of new types of work.

Key Insights

• 🛄 Progressive automation aims to automate repetitive, boring, or dangerous tasks without eliminating jobs.
• 👶 Retraining employees for new roles is a part of the social responsibility of companies implementing automation.
• 🥺 The replacement of jobs by automation may lead to the creation of new types of work that are not currently anticipated.
• 💦 As automation continues to advance, there may be a shift in the nature of work and the skills required for various roles.
• 🐕‍🦺 Automation has the potential to increase efficiency, profits, and the availability of certain products or services.
• 👶 The historical example of the automatic loom shows that while some jobs may be eliminated, new job categories and increased affordability can result.
• 🧘 The future workforce may involve positions focused on creating emotionally satisfying experiences for customers.

Transcript

so look I want to just tackle this question head-on because we are adding progressive automation right now and we're being transparent about it but we're not eliminating jobs in our company we're changing and taking boring repetitive or dangerous tasks we're automating those but then there was a person doing those before so then what's what happens... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How are companies incorporating progressive automation without eliminating jobs?

Companies are automating tasks that are considered boring, repetitive, or dangerous, while investing in retraining their employees for new roles within the company. This allows employees to adapt to the changing job landscape.

Q: What are some examples of employees transitioning to new roles?

One company has seen employees move from kitchen roles to finance and catering sales. Additionally, there is an example of an employee in the kitchen who is being retrained to become a software engineer.

Q: What will happen to jobs in the truck driving, retail, and foodservice industries?

While it is uncertain what will happen in the future, the discussion highlights that new categories of work may emerge. For example, coffee bar hosts whose main focus is providing an emotionally satisfying experience to customers.

Q: How can companies reinvest profits from automation?

If a company becomes profitable due to automation, they have the opportunity to expand their business by hiring additional staff members, such as a stand-up comedian or guitarist, to enhance the customer experience further.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Companies are implementing progressive automation to automate boring, repetitive, or dangerous tasks without eliminating jobs.

• One company has already retrained employees who moved from the kitchen to finance and catering sales, and one employee is training to be a software engineer.

• The nature of work will change, and new categories of work will be created, such as coffee bar hosts who focus on creating an emotionally satisfying experience for customers.