Maybe the Robots Will Save Us
It's going to be okay.
The robots are coming for your job!
Sound familiar? It seems like every advancement in automation invites predictions of another industry where humans will be thrust aside by cheaper robots that perform better, work faster, and don’t whine so much.
We conjure images of humanoid overlords walking into our workplaces, tapping us on the shoulder, and waving goodbye as we walk out the door clutching our boxes of tchotchkes and family photos.
I’m here to tell you we’re going to be okay.
In my experience talking to founders of robotics companies and their customers, neither are looking to displace humans. Instead, customers are desperately looking for robots that can step in where they can no longer find humans to do the jobs in the first place. Robot adoption begins when people aren’t available.
Did you know some pick-and-pack warehouse workers walk 10+ miles per shift? Or that foundry workers in head-to-toe reflective suits wrangle liquid metals that reach over 1500°C? Or that long-distance truck drivers have higher rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and depression?
As you might imagine, these physically demanding industries have severe labor shortages. Here are a few more: mining, construction, manufacturing, shipbuilding, machining, tool and die-making, wire harnessing, textiles, sawmills, agriculture, transportation, water pipeline repair, pest control, waste management, oil and gas extraction, HVAC, welding, forestry and logging, water treatment… the list goes on.
Sure, it’s unsettling to see a futuristic humanoid dancing to electro. But that’s not what robots look like in practice. At least not yet. When it comes to everyday applications, robots mostly do things people don’t want to do anymore: crawling through pipes, digging up mines, and moving things over and over and over again. This is not just a technology issue. It’s a quality-of-life issue.
CEOs in these industries say the same things.
“People don’t want to do these jobs anymore.”
“My labor force is aging and I can’t find young people to replace them.”
“Our growth is throttled by labor and our ability to deliver our services.”
“We need new technology to continue operating, and we need it now.”
Our national infrastructure is aging as much as the workforce, so the timing for these labor availability issues couldn’t be worse. But this isn’t the first time physical labor jobs have started to disappear because we can no longer afford the labor.
Stonemasonry and labor shortages
Stonemasonry is one of the oldest trades in human civilization. Stonemasons are responsible for pyramids, Medieval castles, Renaissance buildings, and museum-defining sculptures. They hand-carved the columns, archways, window surrounds, and decorative facades that give each architectural period its distinctiveness. You might say they are also responsible for your influencer friend who loves Parisian architecture and can’t stop posing in front of buildings there.
This thread from The Cultural Tutor illuminates how architecture evolved from a maximalist design with intricate stonework to our inescapable modern architecture. A quote from architect Adolf Loos in 1908 stands out.
“Ornament means squandered manpower.” Manpower.
I am not qualified to make sense of changes in architectural trends throughout history; myriad confounding factors contributed. But as the need for more housing, offices, and indoor space expanded over the last 150 years, one thing is clear: manpower couldn’t keep up.
The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona is still under construction 142 years after breaking ground. Wars and funding issues have slowed things down. The building's interior and exterior stonework are one-of-a-kind. Given the scarcity of stonemasons and the increasing costs of stonework today, you have to wonder: Will they ever get it done?
Notre Dame, the Taj Mahal, Petra, and many of the world’s most famous structures were built by hand. It’s hard to believe humans ever pulled them off, and there is no way we could build them today. We don’t have the manpower. We can't keep up with the demand for affordable housing, so we can forget about having the stonemasons to carve intricate details into rock that could grace the side of a building.
Maybe the robots will save us
Enter Monumental Labs. Monumental Labs is a robotics company building AI-enabled robotic stone carving factories. They are ‘bending the cost curve on stone facades and ornament…to create buildings of beauty and lasting value.’
To create beauty and lasting value. This is the promise of robots and AI.
Like the industries mentioned above, Monumental Labs isn’t replacing existing stonemasons, relieving them of their duties to beautify our cities. They are working with the remaining stonemasons to speed up their work. They perform less detail-oriented, more labor-intensive processes. If they’re successful, and I hope they are, Monumental Labs may bring back a whole craft. With this technology, artists responsible for preserving these skills can make buildings beautiful again.
What a mission! At a time when people are worried about technology crushing our souls (see: social media), this company is building cutting-edge robots that can reveal our humanity and beautify our physical world.
I’m not blind to the challenges we face with robots. I know that in some cases, robots will displace unsuspecting workers. But I’ve also spoken to a water pipeline repair company that can boost worker productivity with autonomous robots to serve more municipalities. I’ve encountered a waste management company that can improve safety by using sensors and edge AI models instead of humans to monitor hazardous gases. Labor availability has been a concern in these industries, and robots can help deliver critical services.
As technology progresses we tend to celebrate new things that have never been done before. But what moves us forward are the inventions that help us get things done. The promise of a more technologically advanced society does not have to be an overly industrialized Wall-E version of the world. It can be more human. We can automate the mundane and create time for what matters.
I imagine a world where the pursuit of new technology both advances our ability and expresses our humanity. Let’s create that version.
Thanks to all the founders and collaborators who gave me feedback on this. My ideas are always evolving. If you’re working on robots, automation, or industrial AI that can create lasting value in our physical world, I’d love to hear from you.
Nik! A great read. Was impacted by this perspective: “They are working with the remaining stonemasons to speed up their work.”
Think of how much faster the work on rebuilding our infrastructure will go - if we ever get around to it!
Thanks for writing! I didn't understand it when I first read the draft, but I like the focus on augmenting blue-collar work vs the doomsday headlines of 'robots will take your job'. Optimism over fear stood out to me in this piece