Robots could build the factories that sideline human workers

Robots may soon begin building the equipment needed to expand automated industry, pushing people out of production because they work more slowly, technology commentator Kristjan Port writes for ERR’s R2. He compares artificial intelligence to the handless girl in a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, arguing that AI still depends on people to act in the physical world.

Intellectual work ultimately has to affect the material world, Port writes. Today, people carry out that physical work in factories, laboratories and doctors’ offices. As AI advances and investors seek returns, robots could provide a way to turn its output into action without relying on human workers.

An analysis published last year described an “industrial explosion” alongside the better-known idea of an intelligence explosion. The industrial version would begin when robots start making the equipment needed for production. It could accelerate as automated factories produce more tools to expand automation further.

Port says several obstacles remain. One is a shortage of data describing physical tasks. Cameras worn by workers can record their movements and provide material for robots to learn from.

Another challenge is the unpredictability of the physical world: objects can fall or break, people can intervene, and goals can change.