On the Cutting Edge: The Use of AI and Automation at RiverMead
In 2023 the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has led many to speculate on what the job market will look like in the future if humans are forced to compete with AI for jobs. Many in the trucking industry, for example, believe that trucking could be completely automated by as early as 2030, with companies such as Volvo and Tesla in the process of designing fully automated trucks to be mass-produced across the United States. People are scared by this because they believe their jobs will be replaced by AI. It’s easy to look at this in a negative light. However, people don’t often think about the benefits of these machines and how they can be used to make up for worker shortages, promote green technology, and help companies such as RiverMead further their productivity.
In 2020, unemployment reached unprecedented rates due to the Covid 19 Pandemic. Since then, many organizations have been short on workers. Some companies are pushing back against worker shortages using AI. One of these companies is Amazon which is now using drones to deliver packages. This not only takes the pressure off other Amazon workers who now have less to deal with but also improves the company’s productivity as humans can now focus on more critical tasks.
Another way that automation is helping industry is the AI learning tool ChatGPT. This is software developed by OpenAI in 2022 that can generate text based on a prompt. It can write anything from poems, and emails, to even entire essays, which can be a valuable tool in industry. Not only is it able to write code for software developing companies, but it has also been used by large companies in the customer service industry to respond to client questions. This frees people in customer service to focus on bigger projects and makes up for their worker shortages.
AI technology has even made a positive impact here at RiverMead. The Husqvarna Automower is an automatic lawn mower and is currently used by the RiverMead landscaping team. They look and act surprisingly like a Roomba vacuum cleaner but with even more precision and accuracy. Areas that would normally take landscapers two or three days to mow can now be managed very quickly by the automatic mower. This frees up those landscapers to do other jobs, such as trimming the hedges. RiverMead owns three auto mowers currently but is looking to purchase more in the near future. They are more energy efficient because they are battery-powered as opposed to regular gas-powered lawnmowers. Overall, they have been extremely helpful to RiverMead and a positive good for the community, as our lawns are now looking better than ever.
The benefits of AI technology and automated machinery are numerous. It helps with efficiency, worker shortages, and it can promote green energy usage. It has benefited our RiverMead community, and it probably will make a greater impact on our lives in the years to come. Fears that jobs will be lost to AI technology are common, but it is important to remember the positive effects and how it can be used for good rather than evil. The use of AI technology enables employees to shift their attention and efforts towards higher-level tasks while also increasing operational efficiency for organizations.