#future of work

For humans and robots to successfully coexist, humans must be able to use and express their creative problem solving skills as well as to make free will choices (e.g. take agency) from options available to them at any given time. Too much automation in combination with too many automated processes, can leave humans without the ability to express themselves and can result in thwarted processes, unhappy humans and challenges to ethical boundaries. AI isn’t in place yet, and no robot can make the right decision in all cases, because they cannot be programmed to consider every agency alternative.

Rather than inserting robots into environments simply to complete pre-programmed tasks, we suggest that robots will function most successfully as cooperative partners with humans in environments where they are required. 

We think Rethink Robotics’ Baxter robot is an excellent example of a cooperative robot.

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Because humans get to program Baxter and aren’t trying to work around Baxter’s programming, there is an opportunity for a better result for both Baxter and humans. Baxter isn’t making the wrong thing in the wrong way and humans aren’t stuck without a way to help it or are out of a job because they are all suddenly being replaced by the coming “robot army.” I jest a bit about that last point, but people are concerned and people are losing jobs.

Unfortunately, the people in upper management of companies who are making decisions about replacing people with algorithms or machines, aren’t taking the idea of agency into consideration as they should.

Baxter includes humans. It incorporates the “yes and” from improvisational theater. The strongest improv scenes are those in which the players commit to what they are given and build upon it. The “yes” along with the “and” (e.g. the new idea). Rethink Robotics does “yes, and” very well. Yes you have robots AND they need people to help them do their work. A win-win.

viameet phd candidate sally applin (part 2) - Rethink Robotics

Beautiful cartographies 

¿Trabajando en cuarentena?

Muchos hogares están experimentando cierta intensificación de usos en un mismo espacio, redescubriendo otros y flexibilizando los espacios infrautilizados mientras trabajan y conviven en cuarentena.

Para comprobar cómo se están adaptando las personas a esta forma de trabajo desde sus casas, hemos realizado una encuesta durante la primera quincena de abril a través de las redes sociales. En esta infografía desvelamos parte de los resultados con aspectos que nos llevan a entender la resiliencia de las personas ante la experiencia de trabajar desde casa.

El concepto parte de una sección del covid-19 adaptada a la resiliencia frente a la situación de confinamiento.

Si deseas que elaboremos una infografía como ésta basada en datos que estés recopilando escríbenos aquí

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Are you working on quarantine?

Many households are experiencing some intensification of uses in the same rooms, rediscovering spaces like terraces and courtyards in house and making underutilized rooms more flexible while working and living in quarantine.

To analize how people are adapting to this way of work from home we have conducted a survey during the first fortnight of April through social networks, through this infographic we reveal the aspects that lead us to understand people’s resilience through the experience of working from home.

 The concept is part of a section of covid-19 adapted to our resilience due to the confinement situation.

 If you want us to develop an infographic like this based on data, write us.