Is the Robot Economy to Be Feared or Feted?

"While the number of robots ordered has declined recently after record sales in 2021 and 2022, people aren't lining up to go back to dull, dirty and dangerous factory jobs ("Demand for Industrial Robots Loses Steam," Business & Finance, Oct. 8). U.S. factories faced labor shortages long before the pandemic, and as boomers still in those jobs retire, labor numbers will drop quickly.

Robots aren't going away. They drive economic resilience and growth, ensuring that the U.S. remains competitive and employees prosperous. Companies that automate, especially when unable to find and keep human workers, stay productive and grow, creating even more jobs. The automotive industry has long experienced this, and now, so are many others.

While we are still in the early stages of automation, we expect that as more companies automate, we'll see safer, better and higher paying jobs and fewer of the dull, dirty and dangerous jobs people don't want to do.

Jeff Burnstein

Association for Advancing Automation

Ann Arbor, Mich.

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Over the past five decades, entrepreneurs and owners of corporate America have profited tremendously from the exportation of millions of jobs to places where labor is cheap. This has created a vast expansion of global wealth, but few have seriously wrestled with what it means for average Americans.

Americans now see another source of job losses and declining livelihoods: artificial intelligence and intelligent automation ("At U.S. Ports, the Battle Over Robots Is On," Page One, Oct. 9). AI and automation are increasing wealth and efficiency, as capitalism has in the past, but they aren't increasing jobs. The distribution of wealth is skewing ever more. As billionaires proliferate, average Americans are priced out of homeownership, financial opportunity and security and meaningful work.

In a democratic republic, lack of a productive role is a recipe for cynicism, despair and class warfare. Meaningful work is the single most important factor for a chance at a happy life. If capitalism can't address this deficit, the authoritarian ideologies lie in wait to address the failure. Far better to control AI and automation, yet create work.

Henry Walther

Granite Bay, Calif." [1]

1. Is the Robot Economy to Be Feared or Feted? Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 16 Oct 2024: A.16.