Concerns about the pandemic and the necessity of maintaining our food supply chains have pushed many businesses in these industries to increase their investments in automating or artificial intelligence technologies.
In many cases, this is just an acceleration of preexisting trends. Tyson Foods invested more than $500 million in automation and related technological advancements in the last three years alone.
Many of these technologies are not only efficient, they are labor replacing.
Spurred in part by the shortage of workers to pick fruit, some large commercial firms have employed harvesting robots that can cover the acreage of multiple workers. Given the impact of COVID–19 on borders and worker flows into and across the US, many firms have strong incentive to continue to invest in these technologies, further reducing the need for human labor. The advent of driverless tractors and sprayers will further reduce the need for large day-to-day staffs.
Many warehouses have replaced traditional forklifts with automated guided vehicles (AGVS) that can perform a suite of tasks previously performed by multiple employees: unloading and loading trucks, and transporting large items across warehouse floors. They can also perform operations in harsh conditions like freezers and cold storage environments for longer periods.
Likewise, at grocery stores themselves, the pandemic has intensified technology use. We have seen more reliance on self-checkout cashiers and other types of kiosks that facilitate social distancing. Furthermore, Brain Corp, a firm that designs software used in automated floor cleaners, who states that autonomous floor care robot usage has risen in recent months to about 8,000 hours of daily work—a 13% increase from pre-pandemic use. This is work that “otherwise would have been done by an essential worker,” and thus allows these workers to engage in ostensibly more productive activities.
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