Technology still works as disrupter

ON MONDAY, Hangzhou Wahaha, one of the largest beverage producers in China, announced it has founded a company for robotics R&D and the manufacturing of robots with Zong Qinghou, its CEO and chairperson, claiming that robots will replace humans in physical labor and other posts that involve high risks and pose a threat to health. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

Zong's words have aroused fierce discussions, with many people worrying whether their jobs will be on the "to be replaced by robots" list.

Such concerns are reasonable because it is an irreversible trend that automation will replace humans in certain jobs. Artificial intelligence and process automation are already replacing people in some sectors and that is likely to become more commonplace. The US administration blames China for lost manufacturing jobs in the United States, but in fact it is robotics and automation that have been the main drivers of factory job losses.