Google Meets I, Robot

If you work in manufacturing you might not like what we’re about to tell you. The New York Times this week originally reported that Google currently has plans in the pipeline to replace you with a robot… Yes, you read that right!

The plans are being put together by Andy Rubin, the man responsible for Google Android, and will see a division of robots created to help businesses streamline manufacturing procedures. The robots will be distinct from other notable Google initiatives (driverless cars and Google glass, for example) in that there is no plan to sell the futuristic robotic workers to the public.

The release of details by Google comes only days after Amazon published a now widely circulated video showing a futuristic drone delivery device in action. Google and Amazon have a history of trying to out-do each other in the fight for shareholders.

While the news sounds exciting and is surely a feat of technology and innovation you would have to ask how the technology would impact the economy. There are a lot of people working in a manufacturing role who could be directly impacted by these proposed robots – and not necessarily for the better!

We’d love to hear what you think about this exciting albeit somewhat worrying development.