Awards November 22, 2017
Will Employees Ever Work For A Robot Boss?
Earlier this year, Financial Times magazine dropped a bombshell: robots were working as teacher assistants in Singapore. And, The Telegraph reported within 10 years, robots will begin replacing teachers, with fully functional abilities to remember each student’s face and adapt to students’ style of communication. With that kind of technology on the rise, we asked execs from the promo industry and our experts to weigh in on this question: Will employees ever work for a robot boss?
Jo-an Lantz, Geiger: “I’m sure with artificial intelligence it will be possible.”
Mitch Mounger, Sunrise Identity: “I hope not. I do, however, see robots becoming more and more important and we, as humans, will need to work with them.”
Norm Hullinger, alphabroder: “I don’t think employees will work for a robot boss in the immediate future. But I’m a bit of a Luddite. We’re a long way from those technological advances taking hold in our industry and in general.”
Jill Albers, Shumsky: “Really? Maybe a plant. I think a plant would be a better boss than a robot. I would rather work for a plant.”
Brandon Mackay, SnugZ: “Perhaps this will be the case someday. With the lightning pace that robots are replacing humans in manufacturing, this isn’t that far down the road.”
Bill Korowitz, The Magnet Group: “Sure they will. Hopefully I’ll just be a memory by then.”
Jacob Morgan, futurist: “AI will replace bad managers but not good ones. Humans, to do well at work, still need that manager that can guide them and inspire them and motivate them.”
Brent Gleeson, author/speaker: “True emotional intelligence, connecting with people on a professional and personal level, I don’t think that’s possible when you’re using artificial intelligence.”