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I've known about manufacturing plants and warehousing operations that run dark for shifts and sometimes almost twenty-four seven. With AI/ML coming online and advancing at an ever-accelerating rate when do the readers think we will have end to end automation with a minimum of human guidance? Will this also take place in medical where no human could gather and correlate data on medical conditions of all types in a way no human could? I feel AI/ML coupled with advanced real time communications present an opportunity to speed up advances in all areas if regulatory and special interests of all types can be overcome. We have already seen this in research with automated AI systems have discovered 700 new materials. Any thoughts or comments appreciated. Also where do the readers feel full automation will take place first?
Arthur, semiconductor manufacturing is already 100% automated. Things breakdown, processes drifts so employees are always needed. This will not change in my lifetime. AI agents are used to do process control already but within human controlled guidelines (see tsmc). As to medical advances, computers are already widely used to create drug models (the target protein and the drug that will bind to it).
I think that AI is the flavor "du jour" at the moment, Massive amounts of hype, reality will disappoint.
Arthur, semiconductor manufacturing is already 100% automated. Things breakdown, processes drifts so employees are always needed. This will not change in my lifetime. AI agents are used to do process control already but within human controlled guidelines (see tsmc). As to medical advances, computers are already widely used to create drug models (the target protein and the drug that will bind to it).
I think that AI is the flavor "du jour" at the moment, Massive amounts of hype, reality will disappoint.
I feel in the not to distant future AI/ML will be better than human doctors in many areas of diagnostics and even surgery as they learn from surgeons that are using robotics on a larger and larger scale. Also, the whole commercial sector has barely scratched the surface of automation from transportation, manufacturing, retail and materials handling. As a retired contractor, the building sector is ripe for prefab, panelized and prebuilt sections with wiring, plumbing and fixtures installed. Honda among others builds panelized houses with ciellings as high as twenty two feet when I checked years ago. One advantage was repair, because you could put parts in without fitting them like a car.
I am siding with Mozart. There are tons of manufacturing processes which are mindbogglingly inefficient everywhere, and human labour component doesn't make even few percents in them.
For example, before the most basic robotic construction, we will probably see people at least switching to cheaper, and more practical materials, and then cheaper construction methods. As of now, most of the developed world is completely unconcerned with costs of buildings. It's only in poorer countries people are driven to do that.
I am siding with Mozart. There are tons of manufacturing processes which are mindbogglingly inefficient everywhere, and human labour component doesn't make even few percents in them.
For example, before the most basic robotic construction, we will probably see people at least switching to cheaper, and more practical materials, and then cheaper construction methods. As of now, most of the developed world is completely unconcerned with costs of buildings. It's only in poorer countries people are driven to do that.
We already have had panelized and modular construction for over twenty years and automation in construction is moving ahead in various forms. I have no doubt the house built by Honda use advanced automation to build their sections or modules. Holding three contractor's licenses I have studied this area for years, but heavily recently. A few years ago, a multistory residential building was built in Oakland California at a low cost and tighter time frame using factory built modules. I also looked at panelized construction for my own house thirty years ago and toured the factory that made better houses at a fraction of the cost. The problem in California was and probably still is unions controlling the building process by controlling the state government.
We already have had panelized and modular construction for over twenty years and automation in construction is moving ahead in various forms. I have no doubt the house built by Honda use advanced automation to build their sections or modules. Holding three contractor's licenses I have studied this area for years, but heavily recently. A few years ago, a multistory residential building was built in Oakland California at a low cost and tighter time frame using factory built modules. I also looked at panelized construction for my own house thirty years ago and toured the factory that made better houses at a fraction of the cost. The problem in California was and probably still is unions controlling the building process by controlling the state government.
Here you got your answer. Panel construction been around for a very long time, but nowhere near common in the US. Were California state govt not being situated in the one of the richest US states, it wouldn't have been able to resist the pressure
Here you got your answer. Panel construction been around for a very long time, but nowhere near common in the US. Were California state govt not being situated in the one of the richest US states, it wouldn't have been able to resist the pressure
I agree, special interests are holding all most all fields back to some extent. The one large advantage some areas of the tech sector have is that there is not a true understanding what they do and the impact. AI/ML, 5G and advanced automation combined have created real game changers, but politics still rule, except for technologies that people don't really understand the full impact of. AI/ML/advanced automation combined is one area that is not fully understood by most.
I agree, special interests are holding all most all fields back to some extent. The one large advantage some areas of the tech sector have is that there is not a true understanding what they do and the impact. AI/ML, 5G and advanced automation combined have created real game changers, but politics still rule, except for technologies that people don't really understand the full impact of. AI/ML/advanced automation combined is one area that is not fully understood by most.
But the key point - "rich Western countries can afford high inefficiencies" stands there too.
Big internet companies are de-facto built with very inefficient domestic staff, riding cheap foreign staff. They run huge economic surpluses, so thet can afford $100k a year web designers working for then, while overseas offices do heavy lifting of underlying system software.
