This week, I’ve been observing the painting contractors working on my parents’ property. The ongoing conversation has focused on how little progress is being made, despite the generous compensation they’ve received. It feels like a go-slow campaign, with time and effort seemingly in short supply.
As I reflected on this, my thoughts shifted to a solution for the apparent malaise of the Australian contractor: Robots.
There’s a great irony in this thought process. I generally have strong faith in people—their intent to be industrious and productive. I believe in the value of meaningful work and the rewards it can bring. However, there’s also the reality that some tasks simply need to be done. In this case, replacing human labor with robots could eliminate obstacles such as time, effort, and inefficiency. It might even improve the quality of the work, although that’s not guaranteed.
Whenever the topic of robots—whether software or hardware—is raised, the conversation often turns to concerns about job displacement, the ethics of automation, social impact, and the loss of income streams for people. Yet, it’s human behaviour, over time, that creates the conditions for such technology to be meaningfully applied in the workplace.
Industries characterized by high volumes of manual tasks, like hospitality, are prime candidates for automation. We’re already witnessing the early stages of adoption. But how much of this shift will be driven by a lack of productivity from the people currently performing these tasks?
Life is so tech. Add robots!
Cheers, Mark Fancourt
