Robots May Terminate 6% Of US Jobs By 2021, But The Retail Industry Isn't Worried
Uber drivers are learning not all job competition comes from humans, but they aren’t the only ones at risk—a new report predicts 6% of all US jobs will be taken over by robots by 2021.
Forrester Research says current technologies like Alexa, Cortana and Siri will become more advanced and intelligent, and even able to learn, letting them take more and more human jobs, RetailDive reports. Still, the retail industry isn't too concerned about the loss in human labor, the report reveals, as retailers have been progressively testing how articificial intelligence and virtual assistance can benefit operations. Forrester reports retailers remain enthusiastic about future progress where robots are concerned. The retail jobs most likely to be lost to artificial intelligence are in customer service, transportation and delivery.
But this change won’t happen overnight—it’s expected to take years of integration as technology evolves and businesses work to enable a smooth transition. At least that’s what the robots tell us. [RD]
