The Fast Food industry is eventually going to be replaced by robots

[smahala1991]

As a current Fast Food employee, I want to share my opinion on a matter that could seriously affect millions of jobs. The issue is automation. Many fast food outlets are going to drive-thru only or being built with smaller lobbies to dine in. While this seems like an excellent little convenience, it does hurt the labor economy. It takes jobs from people who need them the most.

This Mcdonald's pictured above is in Fort Worth, Texas. It has just opened. According to an article at Freethink.com, it states:

"Instead of placing an order via the mobile app and then going into the restaurant or waiting in a drive-thru lane or curbside parking spot to get their food, customers can pick it up at the store's dedicated Drive-Thru Express Lane, where it will be delivered via conveyor belt.

Since no one in this lane will be placing an order or waiting for food to be made, the hope is that it will move much faster than traditional drive-thru lanes. "- Article on Freethink.com by Kristin Houser, January 4, 2023

.This will put many of us workers out of work in an industry that is already under a lot of scrutinies for not offering benefits, not giving hours, and jobs that barely pay any living wage.

Many fast-food jobs are mainly for high school and college students, elderly workers on a fixed income or social security, and single parents who work 2 or 3 jobs to get by.

So, let me question you: Do you think automation will kill an economy or improve it? If you think it will kill it, what do you think the effects are going to be?

link to the full article on Freethink.com

[Anonymous]

Not just fast food but nearly every job going is going to be replaced by the next wave of automation. Think of a job, that job will be replaced.

Kia car factories in Korea are nearly all completely automated. All those administration jobs like secretaries, typists are already gone, jobs that employed a lot of women. With self driving cars coming soon all those jobs driving lorries and taxis will be gone. Soon there may be self flying planes, planes all ready fly themselves so that's all the pilot jibs and there's virtually no airport job a robot or an automated system can't do. There's even talk of Doctor and nurse jobs going. Teacher jobs could probably be dome from home by tablet and Skype. Most college courses can be done online, lectures too. The military is certainly going to replace a lot of personal with robots.

Can you think of a single job a robot won't soon be doing?

[sage2021]

I am really confused. I saw a clip about this very thing last night.
They had a robot preparing a batch of french fries and then hand them over to the sever.
The man also said how his business was hurting because some people don't want to work.
If some people don't want to work wouldn't you need to get a reliable robot to take the unfilled jobs?
Robots can't quit on an employer, a robot can't call in sick at the last minute or bring a bad attitude to the job.
So, there are advantages for the employer.
Maybe you should direct your question to the people that don't want to work. They are forcing employer's to find alternative ways to keep their business going.
I feel bad for the good employees. It's the bad one's that force change.

[ArtemisSilver]

It's not just fry cooks in trouble. AI can displace skilled professionals of all kinds. Doctors, lawyers, artists, musicians, academics.

It's going to be a new leap akin to the first industrial revolution.

It can go one of two ways. Universal basic income, and a utopian socialist life where working is optional and assisted by ai. The darker and much more probable outcome is that the rich and powerful will monopolize the technology and use it to replace what they consider the servile masses, then attempt to cull the population.

One need only consider the events of the last few years to see which is more likely and probably already underway.

Pray I am mistaken.

[Guy13]

They’ve been talking about this since I was 10. AI allows for interface now. Get a manufacturing degree in automation and technologies focused for FDA companies and Fix issues in this transition?

[smahala1991]

I'm working on a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Hospitality and Tourism

[Guy13]

That makes sense for your industry and opening Business. Minor in accounting woukd be impressive

[Stoner710]

Of course they are it’s not just fast food it’s every single industry that is designed by humans beyond engineering to engineer more robots and even robots can engineer robots so why do we need engineers. There will become a point where robots take over 99.9% of jobs in humans will be left topless the only people getting paid for their efforts will be the engineers and the mechanics that can fix the machines that’s it and eventually you’ll have robots programming robots I don’t like a Skynet terminator situation hopefully it doesn’t get to that and I will join the robots if Arnold Schwarzenegger is a terminator because “I’ll be back“

[Adaeva]

In time, perhaps in 40 years, much of the fast food industry may replace most workers with robots. However, at this time robots and computers are far too limited. Computers cannot even answer the telephone in any meaningful way. They can't answer the simplest question. All they can do is redirect your phone call and hopefully you are finally connected to a person.

[Curmudgeon]

They demand a wage higher than a teenage entry level job is realistically worth, and surprise, surprise, the incentive to automate it becomes stronger. Who knew?

And these same people want "a guaranteed minimum income", yet want the borders open to unskilled (and usually illegal) immigrants that only effectively push entry level job wages down. This economic and political schizophrenia will not end well.

[pupluv45]

this is actually already happening in asia. There are vending machines that can cook noodles by itself. There are restaurants that use conveyer belts instead of waiters to deliver food.

This is why you need to do well in school and avoid low skill / wage jobs.

[Snakeyes7]

Aren't those "fight for 15" people asking for 25 now? Regardless, this is what we get thanks to Brandon's policies (aka what they wanted). Companies are finding that it is now cheaper to do this work with machines than hiring meatbags to do it.

[CaptainSmartass]

Meatbags? Are you the great Bender Rodriguez?

[Snakeyes7]

@CaptainSmartass Mayyyyyyyyyyybe... I could be him or I could be referencing him.

[CaptainSmartass]

@Snakeyes7 Sounds like fun on a bun!

[Anonymous]

No, I don't think it will kill an economy, but I do think people will need Better Skills in order to have a Good Job. This is one of the reasons why people think Universal Basic Income is necessary because there is going to be a lot of jobs lost over time due to automation. It's a Safety Net for people and a way to try to avoid Social Unrest due to all the lost jobs. Being able to constantly learn and upgrade ones skills is going to become more important then ever in the future.

[Cassie88]

ALL businesses, jobs and professions will eventually be replaced by robots (my guesstimate is that it will be around the year 2055).

[Adam1978]

Someone still needs to clean and maintain and monitor that stuff. Besides the less we need to work the better. We simply tax companies more.

[CaptainSmartass]

It could possibly happen, but not for a while. At the moment, all the robots and other automation equipment is pretty expensive. You've got a few years left to get a more secure role.

Simples...

[strateguy632]

i hope so then i will get the stuff i ordered!

[exitseven]

This is what happens when you raise the minimum wage to 25 bucks an hour. It is too expensive to have humans do a job that a machine could do.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

Yes, robots will be replaced instead of humans to also save money for Fast Food Industries.

[Revvl6pro]

And robots should be doing all of the mundane tasks.

[Anonymous]

Maybe, but I bet the food will still be disgusting.

[Anonymous]

Everything will be robots by 2030 excluding the reintroduced slavery for the electric 'hamster wheel' turbines

[Anonymous]

Yeah, that's really sad, but people should begin realizing that reality NOW, so they can better prepare for its inevitability.

[Bklynbadboy12]

I think in time we'll all be replaced in New York where I live they have cabs that drive themselves