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Much more likely is we increase automation in jobs that no one wants to do like burger flipper or artichoke picker. And this would be a huge productivity win. I

• maxerickson 5y ago
  Automating crop picking might be profitable for the growers, but it isn't going to unlock much productivity, it's currently done in a few weeks by a (relatively) small number of people. Probably the same deal with quick serve. They already automate individual tasks as it makes sense, they aren't trying to automate the job.
  • netizen-936824 5y ago
    Freeing up labor resources can, in theory, increase productivity in other areas. Say we have all these artichoke picker people, they get replaced with machines. Those people can now do other work while the artichoke picking output remains the same.
    • antisthenes 5y ago
      Labor is not fungible, because education and training is far more costly than most people think. Especially when transitioning from a low-skill job to a high-skill one. If you think there's a big productivity slowdown now, then oh boy are you going to be surprised when you start massive retraining programs.
  • Nasrudith 5y ago
    Manual crop picking is an economic bottleneck - if prices drop to zero or below (including subsidies) leaving it to rot in the field becomes the main viable option, barring another process which could transform the crops into something profitable.