Robots in supermarkets: Could robots be packing bags in supermarkets?

It’s been reported that major supermarket chains and retailers could be cutting staff. This has been confirmed ahead of tax rises in April.

Transcript

00:00It's been reported that major supermarket chains and retailers could be cutting staff.

00:06This has been confirmed ahead of tax rises in April. According to data, businesses are

00:11now cutting staff at the highest level since 2009, other than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

00:17Retailers are set to face higher staffing bills from April, following the rise in the

00:21national minimum wage and employers' national insurance contributions. As a result, retailers

00:28have been reportedly turning to automation in order to help save on labour costs. According

00:33to Automate UK, sales of assembly line robots to food and drink, logistics and consumer

00:40goods companies rose 31% in the first nine months of 2024. It's reported that Sainsbury's,

00:47Tesco and Waitrose all use elements of AI in order to optimise certain facets of the

00:52business. Supermarkets could be turning to robots for

00:55packing bags. But what do you think of this news? What do you think about AI replacing

01:00workers and how do you think this might affect the future of work in the retail sector?