Category Archives: Automation

Walk into a restaurant and order from a touchscreen. Call customer service and speak to a software program that sounds and answers questions like a human. Order an Uber and a self-driving car picks you up.

This is automation: the replacement of human workers with robots, artificial intelligence (AI) and other technologies. A 2013 OxfordUniversity studyconcluded automation threatens 47% of jobs in the United States. According to a2017 reportby McKinsey and Co., 30% of U.S. workers may be displaced by 2030, forced to learn new skills to make a living.

It is not only blue-collar jobs atrisk, but professions in medicine, law, accounting, finance, journalism and more.

Why should this matter to Jews? Because automation threatens to devastate communities across the U.S. and beyond, and we will not be immune. We must wake up to this reality and start preparing for it now. Automation could make peoples lives better in many ways. The coming technological revolution promises to deliver cheaper and higher-quality products, as well as safer and faster transportation, better health care and more. However, the other side of the coin is that many of todays most common jobs will disappear.

Retail currently is among the largest sources of employment in the U.S., with nearly16 millionpeople working in various sectors. Yet, we are in the midst of whatBusiness Insidercasuallyrefers to as the retail apocalypse. More than 9,300 stores closed in 2019, and some analysts predict this may climb to 12,000 in 2020. The list of chains expected to shut down hundreds of locations this year is staggering. It includes major brands such as Walgreens, the Gap and Forever 21.

The retail apocalypse is driven largely byonline sales, with giants such as Amazon, Target and Walmart reaping the benefits. E-commerce does create new jobs, butit concentratesthem in just a few parts of the country while leaving much of the rest behind. Amazon is striving toeliminatemany of those new jobs in the years to come by replacing the people operating its shipping warehouses with robots.

Some may point to todays low unemployment figures and conclude all these concerns are overblown. That would be a mistake.

Food service is ground zero for automation, as well. In 2018, a group of engineers from MIT openedSpyce, a restaurant that replaces humans with robot line cooks. Last year, SamsungdebutedBot Chef, a device featuring two robot arms that make entire meals, minus a few finishing touches. Imagine ordering from aself-service kioskor a voice-activated drive-through and receiving a meal robots prepared. McDonalds isworking aggressivelyto make this happen and others surely will follow. How many of the13 millionrestaurant industry jobs will remain after all is said and done?

Should you decide to order takeout in the future, the automated chef that prepared your meal may hand it off to afood delivery robot. This is the tip of the iceberg, as Google, General Motors, Tesla and other major corporations are in intense competitionto put reliable self-driving vehicles on the road. The timeline is not entirely clear yet, but what is certain is that when one of these companies finally breaks through, it will put millions of people, from Uber drivers to truck drivers, out of work.

White-collar jobs are not safe, either. In his bookThe War on Normal People, entrepreneur, nonprofit leader and former presidential candidate Andrew Yangwrites, Some of the jobs requiring the most education are actually among the most likely to become obsolete. On a Harvard Business School podcast about the future of white-collar work, professor Richard Baldwincautionsstudents not to acquire lots and lots of skills in something that AI is going to automate very soon the classic being radiologists and many types of medical diagnosis or many types of legal reasoning where you have to read lots of paper and digest it.

The displacement of workers because of technological progress is not a new phenomenon.During the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, cotton mills made traditional weaving obsolete. Automobiles put drivers of horse-drawn carriages out of jobs. Tractors and other farming innovationsreshapedour entire economy, as agricultural workers dropped from one third to just 2% of the U.S. labor force from 1910 to 2010.

These changes led to massive economic growthand improvements in our collective standard of living, but it was far from a smooth transition. As people shifted from farming and crafts to industrial labor, there wereviolent protests,with numerous deaths and damages that would cost billions today. The rise of communism inspired revolutions that ultimately led to the oppression and murder of millions of people. New forms of anti-Semitism arose, as Jews were blamed for the evils of both capitalism and communism. Countries that remained democratic had to enact major social reforms, such aslimitingthe work week to 40 hours.

Industrial societies ultimately overcame this instability because new technologies created new jobs and people learned the skills necessary to do those jobs. Oxford researchers Carl Benedikt Frey and Michael Osbornewrite,The story of the twentieth century has been the race between education and technology. . The reason why human labour has prevailed relates to its ability to adopt and acquire new skills by means of education.

A 2013 OxfordUniversity studyconcluded automation threatens 47% of jobs in the United States. According to a2017 reportby McKinsey and Co., 30% of U.S. workers may be displaced by 2030, forced to learn new skills to make a living.

So why should we be deeply concerned this time around?

For centuries, technology eliminated jobs because it performed certain physical labor better than people.The crucial difference in the 21st century is that technology increasingly will outperform the human brain, as well. Without physical or cognitive advantages over robots and AI, what will happen to workers?

In his bookHomo Deus, renowned Israeli scholar Yuval Harari writes, In the twenty-first century, we might witness the creation of a massive new unworking class. He argues technology likely would help this unworking class survive, but it is unclear what people would do all day. One possibility is drugs and computer games, which would provide them with far more excitement and emotional engagement than the drab reality outside.

Anxiety about this issue is beginning to seep into popular culture. Anepisodeof the Netflix showBlack Mirrordepicts a future in which people live in massive warehouses, surrounded by interactive screens. They spend their workday peddling bicycles to create the electricity that powers their mostly digital existences. If they earn enough credits, they can enter an American Idol-style talent show. The few who win get to be entertainers, appearing on screen for the bicycle-peddling masses.

These scenarios might be too optimistic. According to Harari, automation may lead to wealth and power [becoming] concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social and political inequality.

Many Jews would struggle to cope with this reality, just like every other community. But we must also consider that such socioeconomic misery often has led to spikes in various forms of hatred, including anti-Semitism.

Jews have been a frequent target in times of turmoil.

In 1347, a disease known as the Black Death appeared in Europe and wiped out an estimated 25 million people in four years. The plague was particularly devastating because it came during a decadeslong period of economic collapse and starvation. Rumors immediately spread that Jews were responsible and, by late 1348, they were being slaughtered wholesale, particularly in Switzerland and the Rhineland. Some historians believe this anti-Semitism was, not just paranoid but economic. Many Jews were moneylenders; many Christians owed them money. The pogroms cancelled the debts.

For centuries, technology eliminated jobs because it performed certain physical labor better than people.The crucial difference in the 21st century is that technology increasingly will outperform the human brain, as well. Without physical or cognitive advantages over robots and AI, what will happen to workers?

Nazi Germany is the most famous case. After World War I, Germany was in disarray, facing a series of economic crises that culminated in the Great Depression of 1929. Banks failed and unemployment skyrocketed, creating an angry, frightened, and financially struggling populace open to more extreme political systems, including fascism and communism. This helped create an environment where Hitler had an audience for his antisemitic and anticommunist rhetoric that depicted Jews as causing the Depression.

What will happen in a scenario of massive unemployment and economic pain caused by automation? If Hararis fears come true, it is not hard to imagine Jewish tech executives being demonized and held up as proof that Jews are to blame for the ills of the 21st century.

Some may point to todays low unemployment figures and conclude all these concerns are overblown. That would be a mistake.

Asmanyacross thepolitical spectrumhave pointed out, headline unemployment numbers aremisleading. These statisticsdo not reflectthe number of people who want to work full-time but find only part-time positions. They do not indicate how many college graduates are doing jobs thatdont require a degree, nor do they account for the fact the labor force participation rate in the U.S. hasdecreased significantlysince 2000.

Others downplay the threat of automation by arguing that new types of jobs will appear, and workers will adapt to fill those openings.The first part of that equation is true; in the future, there will be many jobs we cant imagine today. But what skills will those new jobs require? Will someone working in retail easily transition into a profession that doesnt exist yet?

The evidence indicates this is wishful thinking. Studies show government-sponsored job-retraining programs have beenfailingfor decades. Meanwhile,huge numbersof manufacturing workers who have been displaced by automation and globalization remain unemployed, relying on government benefits to survive.

The lasting human costs of these job losses are evident across the U.S.Researchers at Youngstown State University studied Youngstown, Ohio, which suffered massive unemployment after steel factories shut down in the 1980s, along with other cities that faced similar challenges in recent years. Theyfoundthat deindustrialization undermines the social fabric of communities.

Beyond unemployment, consequences include the loss of homes and healthcare; reductions in the tax base, which in turn lead to cuts in necessary public services like police and fire protection; increases in crime suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, family violence and depression and loss of faith in institutions. These disturbing trends are reflected nationally.American life expectancy isdroppinglargely because of drug overdoses, suicides, alcohol-related illnesses, and obesity. Public trust in many of our most important institutions has fallen tohistoric lows.

This may be a mere preview of what will happen across the country as automation spreads through nearly every major industry. It is up to all of us to chart a different course.

American society must begin debating, preparing and implementing solutions now, and the first step is raising awareness about the challenges we face. Many people simply have not been paying attention, myself included. I became concerned only after reading Homo Deus. Journalists are not pursuing this story hard enough to make an impact. Few political leaders even talk about the threat of automation, let alone suggest ways to address it.

We will miss out on many creative solutions from businesses, nonprofits, academic institutions and individuals unless we generate massive popular awareness and demand.

Thankfully, this is beginning to change. Entrepreneur and nonprofit founder Andrew Yang ran for president in 2020 with the goal ofeducating and inspiringAmericans to confront the challenges of the 21st century. Although he recently suspended his campaign, he succeeded inbuilding a movementwith more than 400,000 donors and millions of supportersacross the political spectrum. Yang will soonannouncehow heplansto build on this foundation.

Business and nonprofit leaders also are doing crucial work to raise awareness.WorkingNation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit,was founded in 2016by venture capitalist Art Bilger. Its mission is to expose hard truths about the looming unemployment crisis and bring the country together to create and amplify solutions for a changing economy. The organization reaches an audience of millions, with awealthofeducational resourcesabout thefuture of work. WorkingNation also highlightscompanies,elected officials,nonprofits andacademic leaders helping people learn the skills they need for the jobs of the 21st century.

According toBilger, massive structural unemployment is everyones problem. . This major challenge requires a widespread movement toward creating a workforce that is resilient, able to navigate the changing workplace and adapt. His vision is for employers, government leaders, nonprofits, educational institutions and others to cooperate on a local level to make this happen.

There is no question massive improvements in education and retraining will be essential moving forward. According toHarari, Much of what kids learn today will likely be irrelevant by 2050. At present, too many schools focus on cramming information. . Instead, people need the ability to make sense of information, to tell the difference between what is important and what is unimportant, and above all, to combine many bits of information into a broader picture of the world. He argues we will have to constantly reinvent ourselves to stay relevant, and that building resilience and adaptability is more important than learning specific skills.

WorkingNations videoSlope of the Curve is a great educational tool with which to start.

This leads to another fundamental challenge: As technology surpasses the ability of humans to perform increasingly complex tasks, can we rely on education alone?

Some believethe threat of automation requires more drastic solutions. Andy Stern, who once led the largest labor union in the U.S., has become aprominent advocatefor a universal basic income (UBI). Many prominent technologists, includingElon MuskandMark Zuckerberg, have come out in support of UBI, as well.Yangseducationproposalsincludemajorinvestmentin technical and vocationaltraining because he believes those jobs will be more difficult to replace with technology. But the core of his presidential campaign was theFreedom Dividend, a UBI proposal calling for every U.S. citizen older than 18 to receive $1,000 per month. He argues this would stimulate local economies, while helping communities cope with and adapt to the challenges of the 21st century.

We can and should vigorously debate about how to best prepare ourselves for technology displacing millions of workers.Is it better to focus all our efforts on improving our education system and retraining programs? Or do we need more dramatic solutions, like UBI? Are there other ideas we should consider? What about a combination of all of the above?

Our local, state and national governments will not focus on how to address automation unless we, the people, pressure them to do so.

We no longer have the luxury of ignoring these questions, but that is largely what political leaders on both sides of the aisle are doing. While Yangs candidacy made a significant impact, automation is not one of the core issues being discussed in the 2020 elections.

This is not a status quo any of us should accept.

Our local, state and national governments will not focus on how to address automation unless we, the people, pressure them to do so. You can start bycontactingyour elected officials and asking them how they will tackle this challenge. We should expect every candidate for public office to have a detailed plan and articulate why it represents the best approach.

Similarly, we will miss out on many creative solutions from businesses, nonprofits, academic institutions and individuals unless we generate massive popular awareness and demand. We can do this by making the future of work a central topic of conversation at our dinner tables, in our schools and communities, on social media and beyond. WorkingNations videoSlope of the Curve is a great educational tool with which to start.

Will we stumble toward a bleak dystopia defined by inequality, divisions and hate, or will we put our differences aside and fight together for a future that works for all of us? This is the defining political question of our time, and we are running out of time to answer it.

Max Samarov is executive director of research and strategy at StandWithUs. This story represents his personal views.

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Wake Up and Smell the Automation: Are We Ready to Lose Jobs to Robots? - Jewish Journal

Over the last few decades, the progression of industrial robotic technologies has continued to advance at a rapid rateeven long after the robot boom of the 1980s in the automotive industry. Now, many robotic industry players view autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) as the next big movement in industry to address labor shortages, the growing demand for customized order fulfillment, and increasingly dynamic production environments that are pushing manufacturers to employ ever-leaner, more agile technologies.

Most robot industry insiders see AMRs as a replacement for the lengthy conveyor belt lines and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) used to automate material handling tasks in the past. AMRs are seen as a good replacement for AGVs because they do not require permanent wire strips or magnetic tracks along the floor to guide their path. Instead, AMRs navigate through the use of light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology, and on-board intelligence and collision-detection safety systems that allow for the real-time selection of the most appropriate route to any given destination at a particular moment in time.

Fetch Roboticss CartConnect AMR can pick up and drop off carts from anywhere within a facility. Source: Fetch Robotics

The benefits of AMRs arent difficult to imagine. For one, the lack of infrastructure required to deploy AMRs reduces upfront costs, allowing for a much faster return on investment. Beyond that, the flexibility of being off a fixed track can maximize the use of space in a large plant, and help meet the changing needs of an increasingly adaptive manufacturing landscape.

Manufacturing has really changed, and as the need for adaptive manufacturing has become higher and higher, real estate has become more and more expensive, so plant floor space is now a valuable commodity, says Ed Mullen, vice president of salesAmerica for Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). Being able to shrink everything down and make changes on the fly is really going to start paying dividends, and AMRs allow for that.

Melonee Wise, CEO of Fetch Robotics, a company that offers Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS), concurred, noting that, aside from the cost savings AMRs entail, the changing demands of industry itself will increasingly require them.

If you look at the environments that theyve [AMRs] been deployed in for manufacturing, especially in the realm of consumer electronics, the flexibility is really key. They change their work cell configuration and their line plan delivery configuration sometimes every several months or even weeks, Wise said. Having the ability to completely change the routes that the [AMR] fleet is moving along quickly is going to be a big win.

inVias Picker robots are designed to move inventory safely from one point within a facility to another. Source: inVia Robotics

Spurring Broader Adoption

As clear as the benefits may be for AMRs, manufacturing remains a risk-averse industry. While adopting new technologies is required to maintain a competitive advantage, doing so too soon can lead to unexpected losses, says Matthew Rendall, CEO of Otto Motors. This is major reason why the proliferation of AMRs has proceeded slowly to date. However, Rendall and others feel that the market is finally beginning to shake-out its kinks, and a proverbial tipping point is just around the bend.

In particular, the shift toward multi-modal functionality has strengthened the value proposition of AMRs. Take for example Stablis HelMo robot, which features a robotic arm mounted on top of an autonomous mobile cart. In the past, an autonomous mobile cart may have offered tremendous time savings just by moving materials throughout a plant. But the picking, loading, and unloading tasks still had to be carried out by humans. With the addition of a robotic arm, HelMo represents an autonomous mobile asset with multiple uses, and thus a stronger case for investment.

What we see from time to time is that people have a hard time justifying the use of a robot for a single purpose, says Sebastien Schmitt, robotics division manager of Stabli North America. With more robotics coming into play, you no longer have the problem of getting parts loaded from the station to your cart or unloaded from your cart to your station, and AMRs have truly come into their own as a product.

MiR is also looking to capitalize on the prospect of a flexible AMR capable of performing various functions to help justify its upfront costs, but its approach differs from Stabli. Rather than offering a general-purpose robot like HelMo, MiR favors a modular approach, whereby their various AMR offerings act as blank slates that other pieces of hardware can be integrated with.

Were really targeting verticals in manufacturing because thats where our low-hanging fruit is, but were [also] opening up our product to many different industries, including hospitals, airports, and logistics. Thats why were starting to see an eco-system of third-party companies looking to build various accessories for the tops of our vehicles, Mullen says. So, instead of being a company that says: Here is a solution, make it work for your application; we say: Heres a tool, and lets develop the right solution for your application.

Perhaps the most compelling business model for the evolving AMR space is robotics-as-a-service (RaaS), which allows companies to contract third-party robots that can be rapidly deployed for a temporary period of time, while also attaining product expertise to assist those who may be unfamiliar with the technology. (See the November 2019 Automation World feature article Robots at Your Service: http://awgo.to/raas).

Fetch Robotics Wise, along with Lior Elazary, CEO and co-founder of inVia Robotics, another RaaS provider, both contend that the unique RaaS model, largely enabled by cloud computing, can ease the learning curve for companies poorly versed in robotics and provide a quicker, more discernible return on investment.

inVia, for its part, drives this point home by employing a billing model that charges per item moved, rather than per robot, an economic choice that places the onus on inVia to move products more efficiently, rather than merely deploying more robots.

In the past, if you look at some robotics companies, theyve sold a bunch of robots, which was great for them, but at some point their sales flat-lined because the customers didnt really know how to best utilize the robots, Elazary says. [Our model] gives them great cost certainty, as well as the reliability that if they need half a million units moved, we can support that.

Yet, according to Elazary, an even greater benefit offered by RaaS is that it opens up the AMR market to small- and medium-sized businesses by removing risk, reducing upfront capex costs, and allowing for rapid scalability.

If you look at Amazon, they had to pay the ultimate price. They actually bought an entire robotics companyKiva Systemsfor $700 million. Most of our customers, even at the highest enterprise level, cant afford to do that, he says. What were allowing them to do is basically have that throughput now and see almost immediate ROI without having to project so many years into the future.

Omrons LD-250 mobile robot has a 250kg payload capacity and is designed to work alongside people. Source: Omron

The Importance of Software

Elazary, Wise, Schmitt, and Mullen all contend that the most promising developments in the AMR space will be found in the domain of software, rather than hardware, with cloud computing, machine learning, and more sophisticated fleet management solutions all taking center-stage as the market heats up.

Wise suggests that cloud connectivity will be imperative to companies looking to get the most out of their AMRs due to the necessity of data collection, consolidation, and analysis to enable AMRs to navigate increasingly complex environments.

I think its important to realize that the warehouse is actually the wild west, whether its a manufacturing or distribution facility. There is a lot of complexity and difficulty there, and this is not a solved problem. If you look at the algorithms and the machine learning that we do today, its pretty sophisticated, she says. Thats really enabled by the cloud, and if youre not in the cloud, youre going to miss a lot of that opportunity.

To surmount the robotics skills gap, several companies, such as Omron, have designed AMR software that can create an internal map of an environment by being driven around with a joystick. According to Darrell Paul, market manager for robotics and motion at Omron, the process is no more difficult than playing a video game. Once an initial tour of a plant floor is complete, Omrons fleet management software can designate zones within the space where different rules are applied, such as speed limits, stopping at intersections, or only moving in one direction down certain corridors.

Elsewhere, startup companies such as California-based Formant are offering the promise of a general-purpose fleet management platform that can integrate many different types of AMRs into a single system.

The MiR100 from Mobile Industrial Robots moving equipment in a Ford facility. Source: Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR)

Labor Concerns andThe Reality of Automation

While the accelerating pace of development in the robotics space may excite engineers and technologists, some fear that the growing prevalence of automation could pave the way to the displacement of human workers by machines. In reality, many of the jobs that AMRs are performing are not being adequately addressed with human labor. In fact, according to Wise, one of Fetchs largest clientsa large automotive facilitytypically sees between 30-40 of its 160 workers absent from any given shift. As a result, robots are increasingly viewed as critical components of production uptime.

Moreover, as robots move into the workplace, humans in the facility will be able to focus on more fulfilling, value-added tasks.

Were working now in a small manufacturing community in Wisconsin, and we were very successful retraining everyone to work with our Ottos. The maintenance personnel and the electricians all used to work with PLCs and conveyors, and after going through our retraining program, theyve leveled up their career and are now one of the first groups in the region to be skilled in AMR maintenance, Rendall says. Thats a really marketable skill, and I think its going to do well for them in the foreseeable future.

For all the material progress thats been made in the past century, the sad truth of early industrialization is that it made man the slave of the machine, chained to immovable production lines and conveyors that trudged forward with a steady, unrelenting rhythm. Now, the emergence of AMRs and other advanced robotics is unshackling the labor force from the static production methods of the past and helping put people back at the helm of operations.

Excerpt from:

Are Autonomous Mobile Robots at the Tipping Point? - Automation World

Less than 10% of MSPs offer compliance-as-a-service solutions. Kaseya Compliance Manager seeks to fill this gap.

Compliance is so hot right now, and Kaseya is all over it. The provider just announced a new comprehensive audit, assessment and analysis solution that allows users to automate compliance processes and documentation according to the National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NIST) Cyber Security Framework (CSF).

This capability within Kaseya Compliance Manager boosts MSPs and helps them better support small and midsize clients facing the increasingly nasty and growing number of cybersecurity threats by leveraging the best practices outlined in the NIST CSF.

According to Kaseyas 2019 MSP Benchmark Survey, 83% of MSPs are impacted by their end-customers compliance requirements, and one-half assist end customers in their compliance efforts on an ad-hoc basis; yet, theres a compliance expertise gap among MSPs, with less than one in 10 MSPs offering compliance-as-a-service solutions.

Kaseya Compliance Manager aims to solve this issue, empowering small and midsize companies to prepare for just about any existing or future data privacy law iteration, as NIST CSF makes up the foundation for a majority of these regulations. [For example, the federal COPRA bill (US would-be answer to the GDPR), the CCPA, and the NY SHIELD Act arguably the most comprehensive state data privacy regulation to date, effective March 2020).

Kaseyas Mike Puglia

Standards like GDPR, HIPAA and NIST CSF have a laundry list of requirements to demonstrate compliance, and oftentimes the complexity of these requirements reach beyond the expertise of IT administrators and MSPs, said Mike Puglia, chief strategy officer, Kaseya. Despite that fact, almost every MSP client is subject to at least one set of security or privacy rules, if not more. For most organizations, compliance with these rules is outside their skill set. This presents a huge opportunity for MSPs to step in and offer to manage the compliance process for their customers.

Puglia warns, however, to do so effectively, MSPs need a solution that not only helps them bridge the compliance expertise gap but also complements their multifunction capabilities so that they can capitalize on this next big managed service. This is where Kaseya Compliance Manager comes in.

Kaseya Compliance Manager is a purpose-built, role-based compliance process automation platform. The products workflow engine, automated discovery, management portal, and built-in compliance document generation and archiving hand MSPs the information they need to gather, process, analyze and validate customer compliance efforts with a number of regulations and laws.

We built Compliance Manager to be intuitive, said Puglia. Regulation-specific versions of Compliance Manager, for GDPR and HIPAA for example, delve into the specific requirements and nuances of those standards without requiring the technician to have a background in data privacy or medical records. Additionally, again keeping MSPs in mind, we offer live instructor-led training, one-on-one sessions and onboarding assistance to help them get their first deployment up and running, as well as provide free unlimited technical support.

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Automation: An Answer to the Compliance Kerfuffle - Channel Futures

Forresters 2020 Predictions Reportspeculates that by 2030, 80% of agency jobs will be transformed by automation, which will enhance the industry, not replace it. So, as we head into a new decade, how will technology re-invent the creative process, and how should agencies be prepared to work within the shifting model, while still maintaining the element of humanity?

As the landscape changes, agencies will produce more content, for targeted audiences, faster, and with fewer resources. Traditionally, the agency creative process has remained reasonably unchanged. While the industrys progression of automation and technology is often perceived as a threat, these platforms can also enhance creativity.

So, what will change, and how can agencies pivot towards what is fast becoming the new paradigm?

The media cycle will continue to accelerate, but attention spans will continue to diminish.

With more content pushed out on more channels and devices, the ability to reach a consumer is dwindling, as is the amount of time that he or she will spend consuming that content. The Internet has ruined our attention spans, making it harder to connect, and increasing the need to create impactful content.

The media landscape will continue to fragment

The future has more channels, devices, and platforms, all of which are competing for consumer attention. While opportunities are abundant, it can be a game of catchup when it comes to brand messaging, e.g. TikTok, a platform that sprang out of nowhere and now has everyone clambering to get on the bandwagon.

Big Data will transform the way we target and message consumers

With the rise of big data, the potential to facilitate personalized messaging in context is HUGE. Its an opportunity to reach people with hyper-relevant messaging. For example, the OOH space can now co-mingle a brands first-party data with mobile location data to deliver hyper-targeted messages to consumers. This means that brands need to have messaging tailored to consumer behavior, that is also location/scenario specific.

Moving forward, agencies will have to change the way they ideate and develop content. The old way of having an elite team of creatives meditating on a brand challenge, only to produce a winning idea days later, wont fit the new landscape.

Use the strength of numbers

Creativity takes time, its a universal fact. Its hard for small teams to consistently write original and impactful content. We dont know when and where inspiration is going to strike, but when youre in the business of capturing lightning in a bottle, it helps to have lightning rodsand lots of them, in all shapes and sizes, spread across the country. Changes in the creative process will lead to wider and more diverse access to minds agencies wouldnt otherwise be able to tap.Creatives should take themselves out of the weeds of content creation and assume the role of editors and curators: specialists who can spot the rough diamonds, quickly polish them, and get them out the door, rinse and repeat (at scale).

Use technology to save timeAre all ideas winners? NO. Will there always be some duds in there? OF COURSE. But, the future will show that technology has the ability to enhance the creative process, delivering more solid ideas and jumping off points that have yet to be considered or unearthed, within a smaller time frame.

Technology can help us hear what people are saying about our brand (social listening tools), surface-specific newsworthy items that are doing the rounds (social media, news), and give recommendations on what content we should produce based on how our previous content has performed (analytics).But, technology can only go so far, we will still always require bright, smart minds to generate ideas, riffs, hooks, and jumping-off points for content.

Embrace a shortened cycle

Even if you had all the time in the world, it never makes sense to personally respond to six or seven briefs for a cold prospect. Agency time is monopolized by RFPs and briefs, followed often by radio silence and ghosting. Technology has the ability to relieve a lot of this cycle, allowing in-house teams to spend time on the projects that are important while lowering burn out rates and not sacrificing client expectations.

As an industry, we need to step into these changes and work smarter, not harder. Let the masses, tech, and automation do the heavy lifting, while we set strategy and steer the course. Shepherding a brands message through the hurricane that is the modern media landscape is a daunting task, but with the right tools, modern agencies can both weather the storm and emerge triumphant with the winds of change at their backs.

Originally posted here:

The Intersection of Agency Life and Creativity in the Age of Automation - AlleyWatch

As businesses look to the future, they should turn their eyes toward intelligent automation as a key component of their technology infrastructure to significantly improve the efficiency and effectiveness of business. Confronted with challenges like managing an ever-increasing volume of data without hiring additional human workers, organizations that dont incorporate automation into their long-term strategies may fall behind. A company that has developed a digital workforce has the potential to not only fill the hiring gap and space left by retiring employees and business growth, but to also augment the skills of an existing workforce.

Working in the robotic process automation (RPA) industry myself, over the past several years, Ive seen plenty of fear around the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) replacing human workers. I do expect some of that apprehension to continue into 2020. However, as business leaders and their employees learn how to work alongside digital co-workers, I believe they will recognize the strategic benefits of building a multiskilled, multitalented digital workforce to augment the human workforce.

Part of the allure of digital workers is the ability to rapidly add new capabilities. For example, you can have the same digital worker with visual skills read resumes in the morning for human resources (HR). They can have the machine learning capability to search and categorize contracts for the legal department at lunchtime. In the afternoon, they can help out in the call center performing as a chatbot. And, you will still have time remaining for the digital worker to perform other jobs.

The Need For Digital Workers In The Coming Years

With unemployment at a record low, there are fewer skilled workers for the newer jobs being developed. And many of the workers who are available are not interested in companies with heavy concentrations of old IT infrastructure and jobs requiring intensive manual, white-collar tasks. It will be important over the next several years for human workers to continue to advance their tech skills alongside their digital co-workers in order to take full advantage of the market.

Further, baby boomers are heading into retirement in large numbers. According to the Pew Research Center, The U.S. labor force is declining by about 5,900 boomers daily on average, and roughly 10,000 boomers turn 65 each day. This shift is likely to reshape the workforce, and many organizations are simply not equipped with a succession plan.

An organization that has a digital workforce in place has the potential to reskill its human workforce in a more efficient and effective way. With a workforce that is made up of both digital and human workers and utilizes other automation technologies, businesses can focus on succession planning and building the workforce of the future.

Integrating A Workforce With Digital Workers

Business leaders must first ensure that the human workforce is fully aware of the transformation taking place. Leaders must commit to helping them be a part of the transformation, participate as much as possible and teach their digital colleagues. Again, this is all about business outcomes and change, not technology.

Focus digital workers on the parts of a process that can free up their human teammates to work on the more rewarding, stimulating and gratifying parts of that process, when possible. Start by automating the proverbial low-hanging fruit. We all do these tasks to test, learn and gain muscle memory, but eventually, human workers will take on more end-to-end processes that touch external customers, regulators, etc. This is where the power of the digital-human workforce really shines.

Just like a human workforce, the digital workforce needs infrastructure and looking after. This is invaluable to grow some or all of the competency required internally. Understanding the needs and the capability of your digital workers is no different than understanding your human workforce. How much of that you entrust to someone else is up to you.

Over the next few years, well likely see every organization utilizing a digital workforce as an integral resource, not only for succession planning but also for their ability to process information, execute processes and mimic how humans work faster and with fewer errors. These digital workers will be integrated with existing teams and free up time for employees to focus on higher-value work and interact more with their customers.

The way I see it, intelligent automation and connected-RPA have the potential to transform businesses and will be staples for successful businesses in 2020 and beyond.

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Planning For The Future Of Robotic Process Automation - Forbes

Automation in the farming sector is playing an increasing role in improving the quality of both animal and farmers lives. Pascal Huger, a goat breeder in Thenay in the Loir-et-Cher region, talks to EURACTIV France about his choice to automate on his farm.

Huger has opted for maximal automation, a move that he says gives him more time to take better care of the animals.

Caring for a herd of 400 goats of the Saanen breed, Huger sells his milk to cheesemakers who produce cheese under the Protected Designation Origin (PDO) not far from his home. He wants to save time so he can look after his goats.

Robots may seem inhuman, but they actually give me more time for my goats, Huger said, highlighting that his priority is, and will always remain, the herd and its well-being.

An entrepreneurial approach

In order to guarantee optimum milk production, which meets the PDOs strict specifications, the quality of the goats feed is the farmers primary concern.

A good diet means good milk and hence a good cheese, according to the farmer.

His goats produce the milk used for Selles-sur-Cher, Valenay, Sainte-Maure, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, as well as the renowned Crottin de Chavignol.

In 2002, he bought the farm from his boss as a former farmworker and now employs one worker of his own. Although only two of them manage this huge herd, the Saanen breed is not only good at producing milk but also has a calm temperament.

And now, thanks to automation, the most tedious tasks are left to the machines.

While the bales of hay, green fodder and grass are distributed by the farmer along with the barn gates, feed supplements are managed by a computer and distributed by a robot, which makes it possible to personalise the process.

While the goats are divided into separate pens according to whether they are pregnant, nursing or not, the rams are also kept separate.

The robot dispenses exactly the right amount of feed supplements for each pen, according to the needs of the goats. This means that the breeder no longer has to prepare the mixtures by hand and carry heavy buckets, as the robot takes care of the mixtures and distribution.

Over a dozen livestock stakeholders have been campaigning across metro stations in Brussels as well as online, in a bid to fight back against the narrative propagated by NGOs and environmentalists on animal farming. At stake is the very conception of modern animal farming practices in Europe.

Controls at all stages

Milking is also fully automated. Each goat is equipped with an electronic identification tag, which identifies the goat as soon as it enters its space on the rotary milking machine. Once the liners are installed on her udders, the milk is sent directly to the storage tank, and the milk checks are carried out automatically.

This avoids regular manual sampling that disturbs the animals and also allows a better yield.

Sensors in each pulsometer manage the milk flow and allow for the automatic removal of the liners when the flow slows down. Milk sensors record the production of each animal and an automatic feed dispenser adapts the ration to each goat according to its production.

All the information is accessible on a touch screen that signals the slightest anomaly during milking, allowing the farmer to intervene quickly at the first sign of trouble.

The data collected by the software allows thorough management of the herd, given that each goat is listed with its lactation number, the batch in which it is located, as well as its gestation and production history.

The data also includes information regarding the milks quality and the goats health, as well as a list of declarations and administrative procedures to fulfil when an animal gives birth or leaves for the slaughterhouse.

This information enables the farmer to decide the best time to rest a goat for its dry period (about two months) before putting it back into gestation, bearing in mind that the average lactation period is ten to 12 months.

A communication gap between citizens and farmers in the modern livestock sector is increasingly widening and the general sentiment is shifting from an overall good opinion of those who keep feeding the world toward a negative view on farmers role in todays society.

A farm that switches to energy-saving mode

Another particularity of Hugers operations is that he delivers his milk every day to a farmhouse cheese producer in the neighbouring village. To avoid cooling his milk too much, he adds some serum in the evening so that it can start the fermentation process.

The temperature is thus lowered to 12, instead of the 4 required for health reasons if the milk goes to the dairy.

Furthermore, its milk tank is equipped with a heat recuperator; the energy spent to cool the milk is recovered to heat the hot water, as well as for the insulation of the buildings which, together with ventilation, keeps the goats cooler inside in summer.

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic and Gerardo Fortuna]

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How automation can work to support effiency in farming systems - EURACTIV

Community First Credit Union of Appleton, Wisconsin, has selected ClickSWITCH as its technology provider for automating the account switching process for direct deposits and recurring payments.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200225005241/en/

ClickSWITCH's automated switch solution (Photo: ClickSWITCH)

"Improving the experience of new and existing members who are switching accounts to Community First is incredibly important. ClickSWITCHs technology simplifies what is often a cumbersome process, bringing a simplified experience that removes barriers to help us serve our members better," noted Cathie Tierney, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We feel that ClickSWITCH will be a valuable tool in achieving our deposit growth goals and increase the number of new and existing members that use us as their primary financial institution."

ClickSWITCH provides a solution to financial institutions, allowing account holders to switch direct deposits and recurring payments in just a few minutes. The solution also enables financial institutions and neobanks the ability to fund new accounts and increase the profitability of new account holders.

"Community Firsts relationship-based focus is the perfect complement to the technology ClickSWITCH provides. Our solution provides a quick and easy process for consumers to change their banking relationship without hassle," said Eric Edwards, Chief Revenue Officer for ClickSWITCH. "From neobanks, to credit unions, ClickSWITCH is now helping over 400 financial institutions meet their growth goals."

To learn more about ClickSWITCH, visit booth #272 at the CUNA Governmental Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C., February 23 27, 2020.

For more information on Community First Credit Union, please visit communityfirstcu.org.

About ClickSWITCHClickSWITCH is an automated account switching solution for financial institutions and fintechs that simplifies the process of bringing new account holders onboard by quickly, safely and efficiently switching direct deposits and automatic payments from old accounts to new ones. The company enables clients to drive deposit growth, increase primary account holders and expand cross-selling opportunities. ClickSWITCH is a technology leader delivering world-class solutions to financial institutions of all sizes. For more information, visit http://www.ClickSWITCH.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200225005241/en/

Contacts

Ashley DAlessandro612-424-5350x1005adalessandro@clickswitch.com

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Community First Credit Union Chooses ClickSWITCH's Renowned Account Switching and Automation Technology to Drive Deposits - Yahoo Finance

Ethisphere has named Rockwell Automation as a 2020 Worlds Most Ethical Company

Rockwell Automation, a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, has been recognized as one of the 2020 Worlds Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere, a renowned voice in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices. The recognition honors companies that exemplify purpose-based strategy and are committed to making positive changes throughout their international communities.

Rockwell Automation has been recognized twelve times with this honor and is the only honoree in the Diversified Machinery industry category. In 2020, 132 honorees were recognized spanning 21 countries and 51 industries.

"We are proud of this recognition by Ethisphere, which once again highlights our commitment to ethics and integrity," said Blake Moret, Chairman and CEO of Rockwell Automation. "We place a high value on integrity in every business decision we make, and that fosters an environment where all employees can and want to do their best work. Our culture of integrity is the foundation of our success and helps us deliver long-term value to our customers, shareowners, and employees."

"Congratulations to Rockwell Automation for earning this recognition," said Ethispheres Chief Executive Officer, Timothy Erblich. "This honor acknowledges the purpose-driven leaders and employees at Rockwell Automation, who are working to advance corporate cultures defined by integrity and affirm those companies contributing to broader societal imperatives and the greater good."

Methodology & Scoring

Grounded in Ethispheres proprietary Ethics Quotient, the Worlds Most Ethical Companies assessment process includes more than 200 questions on culture, environmental and social practices, ethics and compliance activities, governance, diversity and initiatives to support a strong value chain. The process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify the leading practices of organizations across industries and around the globe. Best practices and insights from the 2020 honorees will be released in a report and webcast in March and April of this year.

All companies that participate in the assessment process receive an Analytical Scorecard providing them a holistic assessment of where their programs stand against the demanding standards of leading companies.

Honorees

The full list of the 2020 World's Most Ethical Companies can be found at https://worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), is a global leader in industrial automation and digital transformation. We connect the imaginations of people with the potential of technology to expand what is humanly possible, making the world more productive and more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs approximately 23,000 problem solvers dedicated to our customers in more than 100 countries. To learn more about how we are bringing The Connected Enterprise to life across industrial enterprises, visit http://www.rockwellautomation.com.

About the Ethisphere Institute

The Ethisphere Institute is the global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices that fuel corporate character, marketplace trust and business success. Ethisphere has deep expertise in measuring and defining core ethics standards using data-driven insights that help companies enhance corporate character and measure and improve culture. Ethisphere honors superior achievement through its Worlds Most Ethical Companies recognition program and provides a community of industry experts with the Business Ethics Leadership Alliance (BELA). More information about Ethisphere can be found at: https://ethisphere.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200225005250/en/

Contacts

Media Contacts Rockwell Automation Media ContactKolve ByrdRockwell Automation+1 (414) 382-5679kabyrd@ra.rockwell.com

Ethisphere Media ContactClea Nabozny+1 (480) 397-2658clea.nabozny@ethisphere.com

Excerpt from:

Rockwell Automation Named One of the World's Most Ethical Companies for The 12th Time - Yahoo Finance

The past couple of years demonstrated rapid growth in Robotics Process Automation (RPA), which continues to be a strategic priority for many organizations. Research published in December by Gartner showed that RPA adoption grew by 60% from 2018. It also predicted that in 2024, automation combined with redesigned operational processes will reduce 30% of an organizations operational costs, making it even more enticing for industrial enterprises. With such momentum, RPA is revolutionizing business operations, including those of industry leaders, which has led to an automation-first mindset across all industries. In the face of RPA implementation, more organizations are finding ways to adapt quickly to the increasingly competitive business environment.

An automation-first mindset enables everyone in the organization to drive robotics ideas. It embraces continuous improvement by analyzing processes and eventually identifying candidates for automation, thereby building on the framework that improves productivity without spending too much on sophisticated software or hiring additional manpower. Guaranteeing the success of an organizational automation-first mindset lies in one critical factor: engaged people. Without it, automation is reduced to a catchphrase, and RPA is just another technology.

RPA is playing a vital role in the age of digital transformation. While it has showcased its benefits, many fear that it will replace jobs and diminish the value of human workers. While full-scale RPA implementation eliminates job redundancies, organizations tend to overcomplicate this benefit; as a result, people misjudge the intentions of RPA and automated solutions as a whole.

Undeniably, RPA has an impact on an organizations workforce. People are so used to spending most of their time on high-volume mechanical tasks that accurately adhere to a set of procedures that they fail to find meaning in their work. However, this is where one of the significant benefits of RPA comes in. Through robotics, people can concentrate on value-adding activities that create higher knowledge and encourage the acquisition of new competencies as RPA takes repetitive and low-value tasks off their hands. Employees can focus on meaningful work where they can gain leverage over robots and machines. Even though RPA initially disrupts the status quo, its long-term benefit is to create strategic roles that give people a more profound sense of purpose in an organization.

To ensure a people-centered RPA implementation, organizations should have a well-designed change management program that will allow employees to appreciate what RPA is and dispel their fear of replacement by highlighting how it augments the quality of their outputs. People often dread disruptive technologies because they bring change, sometimes job losses; therefore, organizations implementing RPA, regardless of scale, should disclose their purpose with an effort to support those employees directly impacted by the change. How to harness technology for people to learn new skills and unlock opportunities should be carefully defined and planned out. If effectively undertaken, an RPA initiative will be embraced by people, setting the tone to kickstart the strategic plan for technological transformation.

For an organization to succeed in RPA implementation, it must nurture a culture that commits to a shared mission, applying the ABCs of change management.

First, organization-wide Awareness on RPA should be prioritized to address resistance to change and empower stakeholders to be program partners. This goal is usually achieved by conducting an RPA business onboarding and articulation on why change is necessary rather than maintaining the status quo. The RPA onboarding should create a safe space for people to air their thoughts and be more participative. It invites insights and suggestions from the stakeholders to identify tasks that can be automated. As ideas are pooled, it is necessary to emphasize how RPA will enable people to focus and develop their core skills. This method will help eliminate fears of job replacement and secure the commitment of people as they warm up to the idea of change.

Second, organizations should Build a base of knowledge. To get people engaged, they must be equipped with sufficient knowledge on the tools to be used in pursuit of the automation initiative. Each person within an organization can take ownership of the RPA implementation process through training activities. The change will eventually resonate in the entire organization. Firms can invest in setting up RPA boot camps, initially for a small group, with the intent of creating the base knowledge of the firm on digitization and automation. They can eventually champion RPA and lead projects within their departments, cascading their newly-acquired skills and knowledge to their team members as the organization prepares to expand involvement towards enterprise-wide integration. Other highly-valued skills like data analytics, design thinking, and collaboration should also be included as core skills in preparation for the changes in job roles once RPA has reached its full scale.

Finally, to sustain organization-wide engagement, a change management program should leverage the power of communication through storytelling. Newsletters and focus group discussions on how RPA helped individuals be effective in what they do, increased their productivity, improved their efficiency, and provided job satisfaction, will help sustain initiatives on robotic transformation. Sharing the impact of an RPA project on both the operational and financial aspects of the business will inspire people to align their individual goals with the organizations success factors, reinforcing the vision of creating a better work culture.

The goal of the change management program is to empower individuals, freeing them from menial tasks and preparing them to assume greater roles that contribute to innovative insights. People can be empowered when organizations acknowledge their sentiments, encourage their involvement as early as possible, and actualize support as employees go through the process of change. Because no matter how profound RPA is (or any technology for that matter), one thing remains certain human capital will continue to be the most valuable resource of any business.

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Isla Lipana & Co. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

Jay Armand B. Ogayon is a Digital Transformation Solutions Manager at Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of the PwC network.

+63 (2) 8845 2728

jay.armand.b.ogayon@.pwc.com

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People first in the age of automation - BusinessWorld Online

The digital transformation of businesses is in full swing and the move towards cloud technology is putting many organisations at increasing risk of cyberthreats. To combat these threats, CISOs are using software automation.

This is according to a CISO Benchmark Report from Cisco, which polled some 2,800 security professionals from 13 countries around the world. The company argues that businesses are using digital transformation as means of gaining a competitive edge, in every sense of the way.

However, with increasing infrastructure comes increased complexity and reduced visibility into the network and its endpoints. The skills gap and the general lack of a quality workforce is only making matters harder for everyone. Software automation is emerging as a quality solution, as it is capable of simplifying and speeding up the response times in security systems.

For Steve Martino, Senior VP and CISO for Cisco, the problem mostly lies in the fact that many of the security solutions that businesses use dont integrate, thus creating substantial complexity in managing their security environment.

To address this issue, security professionals will continue steady movement towards vendor consolidation, while increasing reliance on cloud security and automation to strengthen their security posture and reduce the risk of breaches.

Vendor consolidation seems to be an inevitability at this point, as the average company uses more than 20 security technologies. While the consolidation is increasing, more than 20 per cent of CISOs polled for the report feel managing a multi-vendor environment is very challenging.

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Cloud and automation could be the key to boosting business security - ITProPortal