Robots at Work: Whose Job Is It Anyway?

The Buzz: “The robots really embody that love-hate relationship we have with technology.” (Daniel H. Wilson) Headline news: “Security robot 'in critical condition.’” Say what? It’s true. When Washington D.C. security robot “Steve” took a plunge in a nearby pond, his on-the-job self-drowning accident raised two pivotal questions: Do we really wants robots in the workforce? And which jobs should go to robots versus to humans? In an SAP Digitalist Magazine online survey of more than 1,000 respondents, 60% said they would want robots to help them on the job. And Andra Keay, managing director of Silicon Valley Robotics, says robots are best suited to jobs that fall in the “Four D” categories: dirty, dull, dangerous, deadly. Is it that simple? The experts speak. Kai Goerlich, SAP: “Life finds a way” (Dr. Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park, 1993 sci-fi film). Gray Scott, Futurist: “Everybody's out there wrestling like a robot” (Hulk Hogan). Join us for Robots at Work: Whose Job Is It Anyway?