As automated technology becomes an increasing presence in the workplace, it’s tempting to think that machines are most effective when left to their own devices. Recent research from the universities of Göttingen, Duisburg-Essen and Trier provides a timely reminder that most robots still perform best when paired up with a human being.
The researchers simulated a number of processes from a production logistics facility used in industries such as automotive and engineering. Teams of human drivers were tasked with competing with a team of robots and a mixed team consisting of both humans and robots, with the teams competing on the speed of completion of each task.
The results revealed that the team containing a combination of humans and robots were nearly always capable of beating both the human and automated teams. Not only were these teams quickest, but they were also more efficient and had the fewest accidents.
The right skills
“This brings a crucial ray of hope when considering efficiency in all discussions involving automation and digitisation,” the researchers explain. “There will also be many scenarios and uses in the future where mixed teams of robots and humans are superior to entirely robotic machine systems. At the least, excessive fears of dramatic job losses are not justified from our point of view.”
The results are similar to those found elsewhere, and indeed companies such as IBM and Accenture have long argued that technology will augment human capabilities rather than replace them. Whilst the results from this German experiment were in a relatively narrow discipline, they nonetheless provide further evidence that we don’t necessarily need to fear a AI-driven apocalypse.
Rather, in a large range of corporate scenarios, humans will remain a fundamental part of the process. Indeed, the German team argue that more emphasis should be placed on the intersection and interaction between man and machine so the partnership can achieve the best results possible. Overcoming fear may be a necessary first step however.
