Member Article

Nearly half of Brits believe robots will boost productivity...but most aren't keen on robot lovers

With developments in robotics coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, the debate over their impact on the UK’s workforce and human culture as a whole has been catapulted to the top of the agenda for governments, policymakers and economists around the world.

Despite hysterical headlines abounding this year pondering the end of human relevance and commentators registering widespread fears about the fate of jobs across sectors and industries, a new survey ahead of London Tech Week has found that Brits are altogether more hopeful about the potential of the technology.

In a survey of 2,000 UK adults ahead of the technology festival which kicks off on 12 June, 47% of respondents said they believed that robots would have a positive impact on human productivity while over a quarter said they would trust a robot to do a better job than a human.

That being said, 19% of those surveyed admitted they were fearful that their jobs would become irrelevant with the more widespread adoption of robotics, although 17% claimed their jobs were so tedious they would rather a robot did it anyway.

On the more amorous side of the technological spectrum, respondents were not so keen on the prospect of robo-lovers with just 4% of women willing to go on a date with a robot compared to 12% of men.

Of course, robots are not the only disruptive technological forces brewing at the moment with autonomous cars, drones and innovations such as Elon Musk’s hyperloop concept all set to transform global cities in the coming decades.

The survey found similar levels of enthusiasm among respondents for such technologies, with more than a third (34%) saying they would be willing to make a journey in an un-manned drone taxi while almost half would be willing to travel at 600mph on a high-speed train.

London Tech Week derived its questions from a recent series of predictions put together by Imperial College London’s Tech Foresight group, which outlined everything from augmented reality advertising boards and robotic tour guides as just some of the innovations on the horizon.

Gavin Poole, Chief Executive Officer of Here East London Tech Week ambassador, believes London, and the world as a whole, stands on the cusp of massive technological change with disruptive tech set to permeate even more of a our daily experience.

He said: “London is brimming with a huge range of exciting tech start-ups who are leading the way in developing some of the world’s most innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data.

“Centres of innovation like Here East provide a platform for entrepreneurs to allow them to develop their innovations, scale their business and collaborate with other businesses.

“These tech innovators are already disrupting entire sectors, but in years to come we will no longer silo technology into a separate category – it will integrate into our everyday lives and permeate all aspects of the industry.”

Looking to promote your product/service to SME businesses in your region? Find out how Bdaily can help →