--- title: "Robotics CEO Says Goal Is to “Remove” Human Labor From Economy" description: "In response to the so-called \"labor shortage,\" companies are looking to finally replace replace workers with machines." date: "2021-11-10" modified: "2021-11-10" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/robotics-ceo-goal-remove-human-labor" categories: - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" tags: - "robots" - "the digest" - "workforce of the future" --- # Robotics CEO Says Goal Is to “Remove” Human Labor From Economy ![In response to the so-called "labor shortage," companies are looking to finally replace replace workers with machines.]() *\Image: Getty Images\* ## Domo Arigato In response to the [so-called "labor shortage]()," companies are looking to finally replace replace workers with machines — and robotics companies couldn't be happier to oblige. David Zapico, the CEO of robotics company Ametek Inc., [told *Bloomberg News*]() that his company is "firing on all cylinders" because, as he put it, "people want to remove labor." He's not alone in his musings. Executives at Hormel Foods Corp and Domino's Pizza also confirmed to *Bloomberg* that they're investing in automation in an effort to reduce labor costs and respond to a "tight labor supply," as one Hormel vice president put it. The trend raises an ominous question: what about us humans? ## Brave New World The ethics of robots replacing human workers are, in a word, *fraught*. If the trend keeps growing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist Daron Acemoglu told *Bloomberg*, "labor demand will grow slowly, inequality will increase, and the prospects for many low-education workers will not be very good." And as [Greg Nichols wrote at *ZDNet*](), "the robot revolution isn't coming" — it's "already here." The founder of a company that is literally named Brain Corp even told Nichols that its "fleet" of autonomous robots has done the "equivalent to 6.8 million hours of human work." "We are thrilled to celebrate reaching 100 billion square feet of coverage with our fleet which represents the square footage of the entire commercial space in the United States," the CEO, Eugene Izhikevich, told *ZDNet*. Dystopian indeed! **Read more:** [*McDonald's Partners With IBM to Replace Drive-Thru Employees With AI*]() **And if you really want to get freaked out:** *[Former General Warns About the Rise of Killer Robots]()* ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()