Category Archives: Automation

Overall investment in automation technologies including robotic process automation (RPA), autonomics, virtual customer service agents and personal assistants, natural language processing and machine learning is expected to double in the next two years, the survey finds, as enterprises look to harness technologies that have the flexibility to solve more than one business problem.

"Automation and artificial intelligence are top of mind for business executives and service providers alike and with good reason," said Todd Lavieri, partner and president of ISG Americas. "Robotic process automation, autonomic systems and cognitive agents are making employees more productive by taking over routine, process-oriented tasks. At the same time, data scientists are using machine learning to find patterns and make predictions on vast troves of structured and unstructured data. These technologies, taken together, promise to usher in the next wave of enterprise growth and profitability."

A Strategic Imperative

Some 75 percent of respondents indicate automation and AI will be critical to their ability to deliver products and services competitively, and two-thirds say such technologies will be required to fend off competition from digital disruptors. An equal number say cognitive systems will be central to strategic decision-making.

From a functional perspective, nearly 70 percent say information technology will be most impacted by automation and AI specifically by autonomics in the next two years. Nearly 60 percent believe autonomics will double IT productivity by 2020.

Other key areas of impact are customer care, where more than 60 percent say virtual agents and chatbots will improve customer experience by 2020, and finance and accounting, where more than 50 percent say RPA will automate more than half of F&A processes in the same time frame.

Automation and AI also will force enterprises to completely reimagine their talent acquisition and retention strategies, more than 60 percent of respondents say, particularly for such hard-to-obtain-and-retain skills as software development and data science.

Disruptive to Outsourcing

More than 60 percent believe automation and AI will decrease the need to outsource IT and business-support functions, and more than half say it will enable them to repatriate work now performed offshore.

Among enterprise buyers, 54 percent say they expect providers will need to lower their costs by 25 percent or more as a result of automation and AI, and an even greater number 65 percent say such technologies will reduce the cost to manage their service provider relationships significantly.

Nearly half of enterprise buyers believe service providers are avoiding automation and AI to preserve short-term revenue. Yet, 54 percent say they prefer to buy the business outcomes of automation and AI (cost avoidance, productivity, quality, etc.) from a service provider rather than buy automation and AI software themselves.

"As ITO and BPO buyers increasingly look to automate processes before they outsource them, the need for traditional tower-based outsourcing services will wane as will the need to have a significant number of delivery resources offshore," said Stanton Jones, director and principal analyst at ISG Research, and a co-author of the survey research report. "Buyers also are becoming savvier about the use of automation and are realizing their managed services providers are not always passing savings back to them as services become more automated."

More than 80 percent of respondents say the most important outcomes from enterprise automation and AI are avoiding long-term costs (such as adding new hires), boosting productivity and improving customer experience. The vast majority do not view automation and AI as a way to cut jobs, with nearly 70 percent saying such technologies are focused on automating tasks, not entire roles. Nearly three-quarters feel automation and AI will free up employees to work on more value-added activities.

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About the ISG Automation and AI Survey

The ISG Automation and AI Survey asked 532 IT and business leaders in April 2017 about their current and planned adoption of automation and AI solutions, the reasons behind their adoption, their success to date and how such technologies would impact their talent acquisition and retention strategies both internally and through service providers.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (NASDAQ: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 700 clients, including 75 of the top 100 enterprises in the world, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; technology strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs more than 1,300 professionals operating in more than 20 countriesa global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry's most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit http://www.isg-one.com.

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/isg-research-automation-and-ai-use-to-triple-by-2019-300471665.html

SOURCE Information Services Group, Inc.

http://www.isg-one.com

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ISG Research: Automation and AI Use to Triple by 2019 - PR Newswire (press release)

MUMBAI: Job creation is the number one challenge for India at a time when digitisation and automation are disrupting traditional roles across all sectors, panellists at the ET India Leadership Council said. The India Leadership council is an exclusive peer group platform working towards bringing change in the country's business environment.

Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra, ICICI Bank MD Chanda Kochhar, Marico chairman Harsh Mariwala, HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri, YES Bank MD Rana Kapoor, Amazon India country manager Amit Agarwal and BCG Asia Pacific chairman Janmejaya Sinha held the inaugural meeting of the ET India Leadership Council. After the closed-door meeting, Mariwala, Kapoor, Agarwal and Sinha participated in a panel discussion, which focused on the challenges in job creation for India in the next few years.

Speaking at the inauguration, Times Group MD Vineet Jain said, "I am confident that ILC holds the potential to knit the business fraternity together and create 'Change' that will be impactful at multiple levels. Together, we will also enlist the brightest minds, thought leaders, senior academicians and visionaries, as we seek to create the next wave of leaders by encouraging conversations around macro issues like capacity building, innovation and digitisation."

One very real challenge is disruption due to automation which will have to be dealt with by finding new opportunities in areas like design, innovation and creativity, they suggested. Digitisation has already replaced many manual jobs and will continue to do so but there are also new avenues opening up where a different set of skills will be required, the panel felt.

Harsh Mariwala, Rana Kapoor, Amit Agarwal, Janmejaya Sinha at panel discussion.

For instance, the banking sector has already seen an impact due to automation, which is forcing it to change the way bankers work.

"Today the alliances-relationshiptechnology model of a business has been disturbed. We will have to create an economy led by design, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship (DICE) to bring about a transformation," Rana Kapoor said.

Besides banking, another sector grappling with change led by automation is information technology (IT). Falling margins, a changing political environment and automation are forcing these companies to innovate or shed jobs. Marico chariman Harsh Mariwala said flexible labour policies are crucial if companies are to continue to invest. "Labour reform is a state subject.

But in spite of many states being ruled by the NDA government, we have not seen labour reforms taking place in states. There is clearly a hesitation in bringing about radical reforms. What the industry needs now is flexibility in employment so that in case of a downturn, the workforce can be reduced. Otherwise, it tempts you to invest in capital and equipment," Mariwala said.

However, BCG Asia Pacific chairman Janmejaya Sinha said flexibility will prevail if it is rewarded accordingly. "It is important that flexibility in employment is rewarded, in which the flexible workers are taken care of, given appropriate health insurance etc, so it is not a win-loss situation for people engaging in flexible ways of employment and it is a fair and just process," he said.

Amazon country manager Amit Agarwal who has recently been promoted to the position of global vice-president, however, said internet has created a unique method of job creation in non-linear ways.

"Amazon has created close to 1,50,000 jobs in India in the last four years and that has happened because of non-linearity. It was not because of a law that enabled us to do this. It happened because internet, when left barrier-free, lets people innovate," Agarwal said defending the ecommerce sector which he said should not be judged so early for its potential.

There are some areas somewhat immune to effects of automation, the panel felt. "There are three sectors, namely tourism, housing and agriculture and associated sectors, that will not be affected either by automation or lack of labour reforms," Mariwala said.

The government with its various skilling programmes is trying to bridge the gap between eligibility and employability. The panel felt that while some good ideas have been developed on this front, implement is lagging ideation, and regulation needs to be closely looked at in this area.

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ET India Leadership Council: In times of automation, job creation ... - Economic Times

In Brief A new video from Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell explores the history of innovation and job loss, and points out why the age of automation is different from anything we've seen before.

Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell on YouTube just released a new video that explores the age of automation and how, while automation has changed society before, things are different this time. Before, as automation modified industries like agriculture, jobs were lost. However, with this job loss came job creation, as machines needed to be repaired. This actually was an overall positive movement, as the new jobs which replaced the old ones were typically better in terms of pay and working conditions.

One of the main differences between that shift and the one that we are currently in is the lack of job creation. While the internet led to the creation and development of new industries and jobs, it simply hasnt been enough to keep up with growing populations and the demand created by automation-driven job loss. Industries and jobs of the information age simply need fewer peopleto make them work.

But we are beyond that now. While the information age couldnt support the need for new jobs, the age of automation will pose even more issues and difficulties. As populations continue to grow and job creation continues on a downward trend, what will we do? The video above explores both the grim and positive possibilities that the age of automation could create. This moment in time could forever shape the future in ways that have never been seen before. We as human beings should learn as much as we can about whats happeningin order to adapt to an inevitably automated world.

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What Will Really Happen in the Age of Automation? - Futurism

Left: Paul Santos, managing partner of WaveMaker. Right: Tim Draper

June 11, 2017:

Wavemaker Partners is hunting for automation, data, and intelligence startups across the region. The venture capital firm is in the process of closing its Southeast Asia-focussed $50 million fund, and is eyeing about 40 more companies, that would make its portfolio 80-strong, its managing partner Paul Santos said in an interaction.Its main focus about 80 per cent of the fund would still be business-to-business (B2B) models, while the remaining 20 per cent will go to B2C. The firm has at least 10 portfolio companies that count Indonesia as a key marketand is looking to invest more in the country, he added. Edited Excerpts.

Can you give us a brief description about your new fund?

We are early stage investors, so we will come in between seed and series A. This fund were aiming to have about 80 companies as we want to build a big portfolio.

About 80 per cent will have a B2B focus and the remaining balance, with minority invesments, is B2C. The mandate of the fund is Southeast Asia, especially Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand, which are our primary markets, as well as Malaysia and Vietnam.

How big is your ticket size?

First checks were about $100,000 500,000. Now the total exposure is between $1-1.5 million.

When you say B2B you mean which sectors?

It could be financial services, logistics, healthcare, or even SaaS. Basically anything from automation, to data, to intelligence. These are the sort of (verticals) that wed like to look at.

Automation is sensors for data. When you have automation youre creating data you never had before, and you can have data analytics when you start analyzing the data. If you have a lot of data, like multidimensional data, then artificial intelligence is something that you can apply next. So, I look at the problems, then opportunities that I want to pursue (in terms of determining sectors).

Whats the status of Wavemakers latest fund? Have you started to deploy it, and if yes, to how many startups?

We have deployed some of it already. In fact, we did our first close earlier at about half (of $50 million). We have invested in about 40 companies.

Is Tim Draper one of your LPs? What is the profile of your LPs?

Yes, and he is one of the advisors and a member of this network. Our LPs come from around the region and are ranging from family offices to funds, so very diverse.

How big is Indonesias position in this fund?

I would say around 25 per cent of the portfolio at least, if not more. Most of them (Wavemakers portfolio companies) tend to be Singapore-headquartered, but it does not mean that they only have Singapore as their markets. Many of them will touch Indonesia in a big way.

90 per cent of the businesses in the SEA are SMEs, and will always be an interesting market where startups can work by putting a layer of technology to leverage them. For us its more whats the opportunity, who are you serving, why do they love you, are you building a valuable business?

Why are you confident about Indonesia?

I grew up in the Philippines so I have a feel in emerging markets. And emerging markets all over SEA are going through the same change, like you have this young growing population, getting wealthier, adopting tech like mobile phones and cloud, which are enabling things that werent there before.That, for me, is a huge opportunity, and across the region you have that. You can actually make that leapfrog to take advantage of the latest tech, and thats very exciting. Things are changing.

You have seen startups in across emerging markets in the region. Where is Indonesia compared to others, lets say, the Philippines?

I think Indonesia is more aggressive in terms of the numbers of startups that are being built, and investors are more bullish than in the Philippines. Although, there are many problems to be solved across both markets, and entrepreneurs are coming up trying to solve them. In some ways Indonesia is more advanced, but in other ways, they are the same problems, like the population of the unbanked, limited access to information, access to capital, and so on.

Also Read:

Wavemaker to close $50m SEA fund; Indonesia to be main driver

Wavemaker Partners puts $200k in data platform Einsights, participates in Series A round of VideoAmp

There needs to be more investor interest in B2B plays: Paul Tenney, Ematic

Snapcart bags $3m from Vickers Venture, Wavemaker, SPH Media Fund

Tags: automation data Indonesia intelligence Paul Santos Wavemaker Partners

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Wavemaker's new fund's all about automation, data, and intelligence: Paul Santos - DEALSTREETASIA

The Hindu

'Dynamic pricing' hard to implement sans complete automation The Hindu It might spell trouble where filling stations are either not automated at all or when the automation is not fully functional. Incidentally, a majority of the filling stations are non-automated, and there are many other issues that should be sorted ... and more »

Excerpt from:

'Dynamic pricing' hard to implement sans complete automation - The Hindu

KOLKATA: Indias top telcos could expand their operating margins by around 500 basis points each over the next three years from automation initiatives like the Aadhaar-based e-KYC process and online recharges, which would lower sales, marketing, distribution and administration costs.

Analysts and industry experts say a combination of automation and ongoing sector consolidation is likely to also help telcos cut subscriber acquisitions costs, which would also lead to a sharp reduction in manpower requirements.

Rajiv Sharma, director & telecoms analyst at brokerage HSBC, expects listed incumbents Bharti Airtel and Idea Cellular to go slow on additional hirings once automation and consolidation picks up.

He expects Indias biggest telcos to each see at least a 500 bps Ebitda margin expansion in the medium term (read: next three years) from a combination of automation initiatives, sector consolidation and simplified tariffs in an era of bundled plans.

Of this estimated 500 bps Ebitda margin expansion, he expects nearly 150 bps to stem from rapid adoption of online recharges, especially with the government driving digital payments.

Badal Bagri, chief finance officer for India & South Asia at Bharti Airtel, had said at the No. 1 phone companys earnings call that customer adds, which are largely based on e-KYC now, had led to substantial cost reduction. But Reliance Jio, owned by Indias richest man, Mukesh Ambani, said the emerging digital ecosystem will eventually drive jobs creation.

While operators will work towards reducing costs with automation and use of digital methodologies, newer opportunities will emerge for value addition to customers leading to creation of more jobs, said a Jio spokesman in a written response to ETs queries.

This movement has already started with recruitment increasing in areas such as digital services, platforms, content and app development, infrastructure and cyber security, network optimisation to digital payment chains.

Sector experts expect mass-market adoption of bundled plans in the 4G era to drive tariff simplicity, which will reduce customer complaints and queries at telco call centres and translate in additional cost savings. Once that happens, telcos need not invest in large teams to manage thousands of tariff plans, which is the case today, said HSBCs Sharma.

According to an HSBC note seen by ET, Idea Cellular has reported sharp savings in its selling & distribution expenses in fiscal quarter ended March 2017 and suggested that 80 per cent of this saving was driven by the e-KYC process.

The countrys third-largest carrier reported a near 13 per cent sequential fall in subscriber acquisition & servicing expenses & advertisement and business promotion expenditure in the March quarter to Rs 825 crore from Rs 948 crore in the quarter to December 2016.

Market leader Bharti Airtel has also reported a near 10 per cent sequential fall in its sales & marketing expenses to Rs 1,693.4 crore in the March quarter. The on-year fall was even steeper at 17 per cent on this metric.

According to HSBC estimates, deployment of the e-KYC process has already led to Idea and Bharti seeing a 21 per cent and 11 per cent quarter-onquarter decline in their sales, marketing and admin costs respectively in the March quarter. Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular, Vodafone India did not individually respond to ETs emailed queries.

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Automation may push big 3 telcos' operating margins up by 500 bps - Economic Times

Customers by nature, are human beings. They want to be treated in a personal way. Customer service is hyper-personal. Period. But, in times that we live today, automation is happening everywhere. Businesses are rapidly replacing customer service executives with chatbots and automation tools that spew out canned responses. Customer service is gradually becoming artificial, something far away from the personal touch that customer service requires. Lets face it. Automation has taken away the charm of customer service. Customers all over the world feel like they are just another number in a brands database. That personal attention which made customers feel special is a thing of the past. And soon, it will vanish too. In the short-term, automation is great to achieve cost efficiency. But, businesses also need to ensure that their customers do not feel missed out for attention due to automation. How exactly does a business do that? We explain in simple terms, some tactics for businesses to retain and engage their customers better in times of automation.

You read that right. Today customers are able to find infinite product suggestions under the sun through online stores. There are also star ratings and reviews that rank the best sellers. But, not all best-sellers match individual requirements. There are also other constraints like budget, choice of color, delivery and so on. Product suggestions programs cannot help a customer pick a product that is best suited to their personal preferences. It is here that a business can tear down the virtual wall that digitalization has created and forge a personal relationship through true and honest advising. Marketing tactics like content marketing, video marketing, influencer marketing all fall under this category of educating a customer before turning them into lifelong buyers. Since they all happen online, it is easy to stay connected with customers even if they are located far away from the business.

We forge friendships and relationships with people whom we trust. Even in a business trust is the key factor that convinces a customer to part with his/her hard-earned money. The fact that security concerns rank among the top reasons why customers abandon their shopping carts is evidence enough. A brand that is trusted by customers is sure to beat the competition and soar to leaderboards. Take for instance, Amazon the global eCommerce brand. The brand is able to amass such massive volumes of sales effortlessly only because of the trust that the brand has earned through customer-centric service. But, in an automated world building trust in a business relationship can be challenging. It is here that modern tools for marketing like email marketing, personalized offers, dedicated virtual assistants come into play. They can make the customer feel the same way they would feel if they were to transact with an offline business.

More than half of the world is connected through social networks. For more than one-third of millennials, social media remains the prime way to communicate with businesses. A business which is not on social media is very well missing out to attend to its customers. This statistic compilation from Digital Resonance sums the importance of social media in customer service: Keeping apart the social medias ability to market on a large scale, it also doubles up as a platform where customers and businesses can come together and resolve common problems that arise in the due course of customer service.

One customer well taken care of could be more than $10,000 worth of advertising. ~ Jim Rohn.

Source Nothing could ever be true than this. Your happiest customers are your brand advocates. To take care of them you need trained staff who can defuse a possible damaging situation into a resolution. To begin with, recruited staff can be enrolled for any customer service course that will expose them to the right way of treating angry and frustrated customers. Moreover, it will also improve brand image, since customer service is nothing but the front face of business post sales.

Like I said before, automation can take away the personal touch in customer service. Automated emails, chat support replies, IVR messages can make a customer feel unwanted. However, it is not possible to do everything manual either, like sending welcome emails when a new customer signs up or when they subscribe to a newsletter. The trick to striking a balance between automation and personalization. Like the automated mail can be written in a personal tone with clear mentioning of the customer name and preferences. They can also be signed off by the manager or the CEO which will make the customer feel more valuable. Here is how Buffer, the social media sharing tool makes sure its customers are taken care of 24/7.

Source

Customer service is an attitude, not a department. This famous quote proves the need for personalization in customer service even when processes are getting automated. We have explained so far how to improve customer service without losing the personal touch. Use automation whenever necessary, but make sure you do not miss out on the personal effect that heartfelt customer service can have.

MeghaParikh

http://www.meghaparikh.com

Megha Parikh is a digital marketing expert and has been journeying through the world of digital marketing for more than 7 years. She especially enjoys learning about social media marketing and conversion rate optimization while exploring her social and interpersonal skills.

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How To Retain Customers In Times of Automation - Customer Think

Reason writer Ronald Bailey outlines a strong case that fears about technological unemployment are overblown. For instance: He adds needed context to the recent finding by MIT economist Daron Acemoglu and Boston University economist Pascual Restrepo that each additional industrial robot in the United Statesresults in 5.6 American workers losing their jobs.

But even taking the high-end estimate, job loss due to robots was has been just 670,000 since 1990 while last year some 62.5 million Americans were hired in new jobs, while 60.1 million either quit or were laid off from old ones, according the Bureau of Labor Statistics. I would add that total nonfarm employment over that span has increased by nearly 40 million.

A passenger stands in front of a row of Cathay Pacific Airways self check-in machines in Hong Kong Airport March 10, 2010. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu.

And Bailey on the basic economics that shock stories often miss:

When businesses automate to boost productivity, they can cut their prices, thus increasing the demand for their products, which in turn requires more workers. Furthermore, the lower prices allow consumers to take the money they save and spend it on other goods or services, and this increased demand creates more jobs in those other industries. New products and services create new markets and new demands, and the result is more new jobs.

Pessimists also fail to appreciate our inability to imagine what future jobs look like, a failing that stems from our inability to imagine future technology and its uses. Bailey cites research from economist Michael Mandel that in the decade since the advent of the smartphone, the app economy now supports nearly two million jobs.

Let me end with this bit from Bailey that quotes economist David Autor:

Imagine a time-traveling economist from our day meeting with Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller at the turn of the 20th century. She informs these titans that in 2017, only 14 percent of American workers will be employed in agriculture, mining, construction, and manufacturing, down from around 70 percent in 1900. Then the economist asks the trio, What do you think the other 56 percent of workers are going to do?

They wouldnt know the answer. And as we look ahead now to the end of the 21st century, we cant predict what jobs workers will be doing then either. But thats no reason to assume those jobs wont exist.

I cant tell you what people are going to do for work 100 years from now, Autor said last year, but the future doesnt hinge on my imagination.

(For more on the issues surrounding automation, a relatively recentpiece from the Richmond Fedis worth reading. Itlooks at things through the lens of how driverless vehicles might affect truck drivers.)

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A techno-optimist take on automation and jobs AEI | Pethokoukis ... - American Enterprise Institute

Carrier sources reported today that Toshiba Carrier Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) heating and cooling products can now connect seamlessly to the i-Vu building automation system, allowing building operators to manage their heating, venting, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems around the clock, from anywhere. Carrier, a world leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

The new i-Vu ready Toshiba Carrier VRF interface enables seamless communication between the i-Vu building automation system and the VRF equipment in the building. The functionality can be ordered as part of the Carrier VRF equipment offering, providing Carrier customers with a turnkey solution that enables building automation, in addition to the numerous benefits of the VRF system. Toshiba Carriers VRF equipment provides climate control with flexibility, zoning options and energy efficiency.

The Toshiba Carrier interface allows building operators to monitor or control a multi-zone VRF system from anywhere using the i-Vu building automation platform - through a wall-mounted touchscreen interface in the building or from any web-enabled device. Using this system, building operators can proactively manage occupant comfort levels inside the facility. Additionally, standard building automation features such as graphics, trends, reports, schedules, and alarms are enabled for VRF equipment, allowing operators to optimize energy usage, maximize equipment performance, assess and address building trends and resolve problems faster.

Carrier and our Toshiba partners are working tirelessly to improve our products and services to provide our customers with enhanced control, said Meredith Emmerich, managing director, Carrier, Ductless & VRF. This latest compatibility with the i-Vu building automation system marks another important milestone in our ability to deliver VRF systems that meet and exceed our customers expectations.

We are excited to add more Carrier equipment to the i-Vu-ready lineup, said Mark Jones, business manager, Carrier Controls. With our seamless VRF/i-Vu solution, technicians can expect a dramatic decrease in commissioning time (from days to minutes) while allowing building operators to benefit from all that the i-Vu system has to offer.

For more information on Carrier VRF products or to find a Carrier expert in your area, please visit http://www.carriervrf.com.

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Toshiba Carrier VRF Now i-Vu Compatible - Contracting Business

About 46 per cent of the work done in Canada is at risk of being taken by machines, according to a report that seeks to identify the industries and places across the country that are most vulnerable to automation.

The report from the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship doesnt argue that automation is a bad thing.

In the long run, technology has often helped to produce more jobs than it destroyed, researchers Creig Lamb and Matthew Lo wrote.

Jobs in food services and accommodation are at greatest risk of automation in Canada, with 69 per cent of the work done in those fields at risk of being replaced by machines.

But in the short run, automation can displace large numbers of employees whose skills have become redundant.

Current predictions suggest that these technologies are likely to disproportionately affect lower paying, lower skilled jobs, the report said.

Automation could replace the equivalent of 7.7 million jobs in Canada, the report estimates.

But that doesnt mean 7.7 million people will simply lose their jobs. Automation usually replaces only certain parts of a job which still reduces the overall demand for people doing that job.

Small regional economies specializing in manufacturing or mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction are most susceptible to automation, including Woodstock, Ont., Tillsonburg, Ont. and Quesnel, B.C., the researchers found.

In those places, about 50 per cent of all work is at risk.

Those areas most immune to automation are those that rely heavily on hospitals, post-secondary schools and government for employment.

Petawawa, Ont., comes out on top as the town with the least work at risk of automation, with 42.5 per cent of its jobs vulnerable. Thats followed by Ottawa-Gatineau and Fredericton, N.B.

Looking at jobs by industry, the differences are much more striking.

Accommodation and food service jobs have the highest risk of automation, the study found, followed by jobs in manufacturing and transportation and warehousing.

About 62 per cent of work activities could be automated within these industries, the researchers wrote somewhat concerning, given that these sectors are among the countrys largest employers.

At the other end of the spectrum, jobs in education have the lowest risk of automation. But that still means about 30 per cent of the work done in education could be automated.

Health care jobs, as well as professional, scientific and technical jobs, are also among the least vulnerable to automation.

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Canadian Cities And Industries Most At Risk From Automation - Huffington Post Canada