By now you probably have caught the story of the latest step in what some might see as the inevitable 'Terminator'-like march towards the complete and total domination of the human race by our robot overlords - Foxconn Planning To Hire 1 Million Robots.
I'll be back - with your iPad
You know Foxconn right? According to Wikipedia, they are the largest maker of electronic components in the world. Foxconn is probably where that little iPhone or iPad that you are so attached to was assembled. Apple, like so many tech hardware organizations has long realized that design, development, and writing software were the keys to success and competitive advantage, but the actual manufacturing and assembly of its gadgets was better positioned elsewhere, with a company like Foxconn that has clear labor cost (and likely other) advantages over domestic manufacturing.
It is an old story, chase less expensive manufacturing labor and capacity offshore, while keeping the essential elements of the organization stateside. As long as the good ideas keep coming, and the manufacturing operation can keep up with demand, maintain quality standards, and hold the line on costs, well, you have the Apple story essentially.
But as we see from the Foxconn/Robots story, even a seemingly inexhaustible supply of lower-cost labor might not provide the competitive edge forever, and whether it is labor cost pressure, difficulty in meeting the insatiable demand for Apple toys, or internally driven profit motives, even a company like Foxconn is looking to aggressively manage labor costs via automation.
We have all heard, and have advised students and others for ages - if your job can be replaced by a computer, or a robot, or an offshore worker willing to do the same job at half the cost, then you probably ought to have a backup plan in the works. Now it seems like we might have to start giving that same advice to the proverbial 'half the cost offshore worker'. When the robots start replacing the low-cost labor at Foxconn, well it is probably time to think about a new career in robot design. Or landscaping.
So kid, what do you want to be when you grow up? (Hint: say 'Robot Designer').
Until of course the robots figure out how to design and build themselves...
Aside: I like in the TechCrunch piece about the Foxconn story, they refer to the acquisition of the robots using the term 'hire'. Makes me think about the questions the recruiter would ask the robot during the interview.
'So tell me your biggest weakness?'
'Well, people say I am a workaholic, and I don't know how to unwind. I say that is silly. I had 30 minutes off for maintenance and a software upgrade last year.'