There’s no doubt that robot adoption is growing all over the world. As businesses seek new and cost-effective ways to manage themselves, robot adoption is one way they’re doing it. But a new report claims the United States is behind on robot adoption. The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation says that utilizing robots would improve productivity and growth of the U.S. economy.
But in their latest report they find that the U.S. trails southeast Asia and parts of Eastern Europe in robot adoption. The ITIF report took a look at 27 nations and found that the United States ranked 16th overall in its share of robots.
“Robots are key to boosting productivity and improving living standards, but there is a dangerous misperception that they will lead to mass unemployment,” said ITIF President Rob Atkinson, author of the report. “Policymakers shouldn’t let fear of job losses discourage robot adoption. The evidence is clear: using robots makes economies more competitive, which helps them grow and create jobs.”
The ITIF report used data from the International Federation of Robots for adoption rates but adjusted the ranking to “control for differences in manufacturing worker compensation.”
“Asia is sprinting ahead in robot adoption, while the United States is lagging behind,” Atkinson said. “If the United States wants to remain globally competitive, it must adopt policies that spur faster, deeper, and wider adoption of robots throughout its economy.”
Robots are key tools for boosting productivity and living standards. To date, most robot adoption has occurred in manufacturing, where there are robots designed to perform a wide variety of manual tasks more efficiently and consistently than humans. But with continued innovation, robot use is spreading to many other sectors, too, from agriculture to logistics to hospitality. As this trend continues—making robots increasingly important to productivity and competitiveness economy-wide—robot adoption will be a vital economic indicator for policymakers to monitor as a sign of growth and progress.
You can read the ITIF report on robot adoption at the link below and draw your own conclusions.
What do you think of the report and robot adoption in the United States? Let us know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, or Facebook.
Last Updated on February 3, 2021.
