Robots will replace 7 lakh delivery workers in China:E-commerce company JD.com founder Richard Liu’s statement at China CEO Forum

In China, robots could replace nearly 7 lakh delivery employees of a single company. JD.com founder Richard Liu said at the APEC China CEO Forum that delivery employees will not be needed in the future. All deliveries will be done by robots. Nearly 7 lakh delivery and frontline employees of the company could be affected by this change. JD.com is already using automation on a large scale in its warehouses, sorting centers, and logistics network. Richard Liu stated that his company has launched a Nirvana plan for employees who will be affected by AI and robotics. Under this, with the help of approximately 120 educational institutions in China, employees will be taught skills such as robot repair, maintenance, monitoring, and technical operations. Attempting to get more than 100 tasks done by robots China’s effort is to have humanoid robots actively working in more than 100 types of real-life tasks by the end of this year. China’s Ministry of Industry has directed government enterprises to bring robots into ‘work mode’. What is the situation in India? In India, last-mile delivery still largely depends on human workers. However, the use of AI and automation is rapidly increasing in large warehouses, e-commerce logistics, manufacturing, and customer service sectors. Robots can change the nature of jobs According to experts, robots will not eliminate jobs, but will change the nature of jobs. Humans will perform tasks such as robot repair, maintenance, monitoring, and technical operations. New jobs like robot operator and robot maintenance engineer may emerge. 44% of China’s workforce is engaged in temporary employment According to a Think China report, China’s gig economy is the largest in the world. 84 million or 8.4 crore people work on platforms like delivery and ride-hailing. The population dependent on temporary employment has reached 320 million or 32 crore (approximately 44%).