Page 6 - AeM_Nov_2017

RESEARCH, ANALYSIS & TRENDS

Seeking opportunity in a ‘Robopocalypse’

We’ve heard it all before. Robots ‒ those elusive job tant memory.
munchers ‒ are making their way to an office near you. To think the march stops here would be downright ab-
And the message is clear: they are smarter than you, surd. It’s only the beginning. So putting our heads in
they are cheaper than you, and they won’t vie for the the sand of the great disruption debate is not an option.
corner office… like you. If it’s not YouTube, it’s our We need to think around this clearly.
friends at TED who splatter our screens with stats and
remind us to stay afraid, very afraid of the immi- If you are an employer, constantly squeezed by margin
nent robopocalypse. After all, it’s not just the postmen pressure, looking for efficiency, what do you do? Do
and snow ploughers and plumbers who face the dirge; you invest in technology, knowing that you could render
the professionals in white coats and collars have reason your workforce redundant? (After all, you still attend
to steady their knees when pit against the innovative those town hall talks that say “it’s all about people ‒ not
power and pace of artificial intelligence. silicon chips and profit.”) Do you hold your nerve in the
hope it will never happen ‒ only to have your competi-
Don’t believe it? The fact is, it’s already been happening tor make the leap and grab the corner advantage? And
for years. Just think about how easy it is now to check in for you, the employee ‒ what do you do? Join a picket
your own baggage at the airport. Only a few years ago, and start marching?
we were at the whim of airline staff to do it for us. Or how
about when you would plunk your groceries on the con- We don’t think that any of these are smart options.
veyor belt and watch the friendly cashier scan your cook- Working the problem collectively is where we think the
ies’ bar code? Now it’s your job, my friend. The milkman answer lies. The reality is, only some tasks are facing
who knew your name? The travel agent? The DVD shop immediate replacement, and so it is in those spaces,
that boomed on Friday night? All of them ‒ gone. A dis- where time and money find new slack, that we must
6 November 2017 - Email Marketing & Lead Management