00:00 Amazon is using humanoid robots in its US warehouses as part of its latest trial to
00:05 automate more of its operations.
00:08 The company said it was testing a new robot called Digit in one of its warehouses near
00:13 Seattle.
00:14 Digit has arms and legs and can move and handle items in a similar way to a person and can
00:19 carry up to 35 kilograms.
00:22 The robot can take over some of the carrying and collecting, meaning humans will not have
00:27 to lift as much, but this launch of Digit comes as fears rise that artificial intelligence
00:32 and robotic automation could replace millions of jobs in offices and factories.
00:38 We spoke to people in Manchester to find out what they think about this trial and whether
00:42 the progress of AI is something they're concerned about.
00:46 "It's called progress.
00:48 Years and years ago you'd have hundreds and hundreds of people doing a job, which two
00:53 or three people do now.
00:56 You get used to it.
00:57 I was at a seminar in Brussels and we were told that I think 90% of the jobs that kids
01:03 born today will be doing haven't been invented yet.
01:06 So yeah, it's a good thing.
01:07 It is a good thing.
01:08 If robots do come in, they're going to have to have people to look after the robots, to
01:13 maintain the robots, etc.
01:15 But these things you can't stop because it's just called progress."
01:17 "Well, I think it would be a shame for people losing their jobs and all this kind of thing.
01:22 But like Paul said, it's progress."
01:24 "Well, I've seen, for example, some of these apps.
01:27 There's a poetry app.
01:30 Just type in a subject, any one of the most banal subjects you can, and it'll write a
01:33 beautiful poem.
01:34 That is amazing.
01:35 It really is.
01:36 Again, I don't know a lot about AI.
01:39 Younger people probably know a lot more than myself.
01:41 At the end of the day, it's going to be affecting younger people more than people like me and
01:46 Ray.
01:47 It is the future."
01:48 "I don't think you can stop progress.
01:49 It's going to happen at some point.
01:51 It's probably a good thing in a way because it frees up people to do other jobs."
01:58 "Well, I have to admit that that's not my kind of being in life.
02:02 I think people need people.
02:05 And of course, also when you go shopping, you need an assistant who can guide you.
02:11 So I think the thought is wrong.
02:14 You have to think and look at people, what they need and not what robots can do.
02:19 So I hope it will go away.
02:23 Another way is it could be okay, but I think you have to be thoughtful about it."
02:28 "How is somebody who would work in a warehouse or factory going to find an income and live
02:32 and look after their families?
02:33 If a machine can do it, why are they paying a human to do it?
02:37 And the knock on effect of that is going to be horrific.
02:39 Potential millions of redundancies across the world when it becomes mainstream anyway."
02:44 "No, it doesn't scare me because let's be honest, people would have said that 20 years
02:48 ago about the smartphone or any of the other sort of tech we use today.
02:52 The biggest impact I think is literally unemployment."
02:55 "If it advances things, yeah great, but at the same time, Amazon probably need to pay
02:59 their workers better, give them some better rights and whatnot.
03:02 So I may be focusing on that before getting computers involved."
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