Samsung is planning human-free, fully automated fabs within six years

[midian182]

A hot potato: In a rare story about a company that isn't Amazon pushing to replace its human workers with machines, Samsung is reportedly planning to make all its fabs fully automated within the next six years. The Korean giant has already begun development of a system that will lead to human-free facilities, according to a new report.

Samsung Electronics has developed a proprietary Smart Sensing System to increase chip yield and improve production. It is used for semiconductor process control and management, writes ET News (via DigiTimes).

The smart sensor will measure plasma uniformity for wafers, which influences the performance of processes such as etching, deposition, and cleaning.

The sensor is said to be tiny; allowing it to be added to the fabs without significantly affecting the existing space. It's also designed and manufactured in South Korea - these sorts of technologies are usually provided by foreign companies.

This might all sound great for Samsung the company, but the report states it is part of a grander plan for its so-called artificial intelligence fab: fully automated plants that don't require human workers.

Concerns that AI and automation will eliminate more jobs are exacerbated by reports of companies looking to do just that. In most cases, at least a handful of humans are required to oversee the systems and repair anything that goes wrong. But Samsung Electronics has assembly plants and sales networks in 74 countries and employs more than 270,000 people, so a new technology that can automate more tasks could potentially cause a huge number layoffs.

Amazon is leading the way when it comes to warehouse automation. In October, it announced two more types of machine would be joining the facilities to "help" humans: Sequoia, a Roomba-like machine designed to identify and store inventory and reduce order processing time; and Digit, a 5-foot 9-inch 143-pound robot that's very human-like in its abilities. Maker Agility Robotics' CEO later said its machines won't replace humans, though he might have meant to say they won't replace all humans – just most of them.

With Elon Musk recently predicting that AI and automation will lead to the end of all human employment, one has to wonder how all us jobless humans will be able to afford all these automatically produced goods.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/101401-samsung-planning-human-free-fully-automated-fabs-within.html

 

[gamerk2]

Any form of repetitive task can be automated if business is willing to eat a large enough up-front cost.

Long-term, we are going to reach a point where full-employment ends up being impossible, and as a society we are going to have to figure out what to do with a potentially very large permanently unemployed population.

 

[OortCloud]

The rich will get richer and the poor poorer.
Jeff and Elon can build themselves some more James Bond Villain islands and yachts while they watch the masses suffer until the inevitable (and literal) environmental and economic meltdown takes them and all us away. Happy new year!

 

[Theinsanegamer]

That'll be great, until the AI hallucinates and plows a EUV machine into a wall trying to recite Shakespeare.

Car factories have been "automated" for almost 40 years now, and still require thousands of humans per facility to run.

 

[dangh]

There is absolutely no reason for people to do repetitive tasks for 8 hours a day for low wage, if that can be done by automation. Sure, this will require a new approach to employment and either make it e.g. 20 h/week, or push people in other areas which can't be done (yet) by machines. Eventually, there will be no job machines can't do, and we will either have to find other form of spending free time and satisfy our needs, or go extinct. But I guess money will not be relevant at some stage, while power still be. And what with the poorer nation, which will be trying to get the piece of that cake?
Anyway, we are facing huge changes in society every now and often last 10 thousands of years. There is always FUD going on (no! fire bad!) but in the end we're getting over. As long as we wont allow authoritarian regimes to take over we will be fine.

 

[Uncle Al]

Elon Musk's prediction of a jobless future is looking increasingly likely

The government better get on the ball and decide how they are going to handle all these jobs being elliminated ... people still got to eat, have a place to live, and something to do ......

 

[kiwigraeme]

The rich will get richer and the poor poorer.
Jeff and Elon can build themselves some more James Bond Villain islands and yachts while they watch the masses suffer until the inevitable (and literal) environmental and economic meltdown takes them and all us away. Happy new year!

This is similar to climate change - deep down we all know it's real ( farmers who say it's BS in public actually plan for it on their farms ).

We all want action, but we want others to pay the cost and ourselves to keep consuming freely without constraints.

Same for these guys, they know this **** is not conducive to exploiting consumers and a safe world.
eg they need to increase their protective prison for themselves and children, when people are poorer and more disparate.
They need the middleclass and working class to have money to buy their crap.

Yet they want to screw their workers, but hope other companies pay people a good wage, so those employees can buy their tosh , even when their own can't.

 

[toooooot]

The rich will get richer and the poor poorer.
Jeff and Elon can build themselves some more James Bond Villain islands and yachts while they watch the masses suffer until the inevitable (and literal) environmental and economic meltdown takes them and all us away. Happy new year!

There is a cure for that. Fair taxing.
When roughly 100 people own 50% of all wealth, they just need to pay much much more than the rest.
Too often I hear how it is unfair that there are these very rich people, and not too often about how they find ways to not pay anything.
It is not unfair that there are very rich people especially when they made it themselves.
It is unfair that they get so much from society they live in and refuse to give back, bribing politicians, using loopholes and gaining power with the money that they owe in unpaid taxes.
It is something to be proud of when a society allows people to get rich. In fact, what is the biggets problem of failed countries? They have rich people too. It is just their poor are destined to be born poor live like that and die without a smallest chance to improve their lives.

 

[maxxcool7421]

Elon Musk's prediction of a jobless future is looking increasingly likely

The government better get on the ball and decide how they are going to handle all these jobs being elliminated ... people still got to eat, have a place to live, and something to do ......

that is why you draft them and then kill them in other countries .. or use them as a military force at home to police and kill citizens who ask for a better life. I am glad I will ne dead in 15 years .. this future sounds like a lot of dead people

 

[pcnthuziast]

Mfw how forbodeing 'human free' sounds.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

Normally people would just find other jobs but socialism is preventing that.

 

[ShadowDeath]

People wanted AI to help make their jobs easier despite being warned that AI wouldn't make their jobs easier, it would replace them. Repetitive tasks like this is a prime example of where it can happen easily.

 

[Watzupken]

Companies are driven by profits and profits from consumer spending. Imagine a world where people don’t have jobs because it’s been replaced, who then is the bots producing all these for? Who can afford to buy them? Will Elon Musk go to Amazon to buy millions of dollars of product to fill Amazon’s till? I think people always have lofty ideas, but without thinking of the knock on impact to them.

 

[WhoCaresAnymore]

Ever see the series The Expanse? Where most people on earth have no employment because there aren't enough jobs? Quickly headed there. Hopefully I'll be long gone.

The only way to fix this issue is a world war to eliminate a large majority of the population. I fear this may happen. A world wide reset.

 

[Gezzer]

Normally people would just find other jobs but socialism is preventing that.

What?!? Like walking dogs or keeping old people company? If there's no or very few jobs quality or otherwise, how is that the fault of socialist policies? You may not realize it, but socialist policies and a social safety net is what keeps the revolution from happening. Really think it through, what do think the results would be if everyone was just left to their own devices? Yeah, the French aristocracy found out what might happen...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

 

[Gezzer]

"one has to wonder how all us jobless humans will be able to afford all these automatically produced goods"

And that's the heart of the problem.

The current economic theory is that production is the engine drives the economy. It's the reason the GDP is the most often used measure of economic health. What's often glossed over because it doesn't help the 1% make their case for maintaining the current system is that engines need fuel or they sputter to a stop. The engine of production's fuel is consumption. Without consumers be it industrial or retail, production serves no purpose. So the drive for efficiency will eventually choke the economy out.

The solution? Eventually we need a consumer class who's only purpose is to purchase the goods and services created by production. Currently we have a piece meal safety net that is both inefficient and hog tied by being means tested. Means tested is fine when the vast majority can find some sort of employment, useless when they can't. AI and automation is going to make the only solution a Universal Basic Income, and the longer it takes to be implemented the worse the transition is going to be. Too late and we'll see anarchy in the streets. No wonder so many wealthy are building bunkers. It's not for WW3, it's for the coming revolution.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

What?!? Like walking dogs or keeping old people company? If there's no or very few jobs quality or otherwise, how is that the fault of socialist policies? You may not realize it, but socialist policies and a social safety net is what keeps the revolution from happening. Really think it through, what do think the results would be if everyone was just left to their own devices? Yeah, the French aristocracy found out what might happen...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution

Central bank money printing, high taxes, green and other laws strangling business.

 

[Gezzer]

Central bank money printing, high taxes, green and other laws strangling business.

And if all those things were gone everyone would have a job right? A totally "free" market will eliminate everything preventing full employment right? Well the actual truth is every business that can take advantage of ever labour saving available will as long as the ROI is good. As the cost of AI and automation comes down more and more businesses will use it.

And new businesses will have the advantage of being able to use them right from the start. You're just parroting the conservative party line, the one that gave us trickle down, supply side, and neoliberalism. As it stands we have crumbling infrastructure and an ever widening wealth gap, and unless you're part of the 1% everything you've mentioned will have a negative effect on your life instead of a positive one.

 

[VaRmeNsI]

And if all those things were gone everyone would have a job right? A totally "free" market will eliminate everything preventing full employment right? Well the actual truth is every business that can take advantage of ever labour saving available will as long as the ROI is good. As the cost of AI and automation comes down more and more businesses will use it.

And new businesses will have the advantage of being able to use them right from the start. You're just parroting the conservative party line, the one that gave us trickle down, supply side, and neoliberalism. As it stands we have crumbling infrastructure and an ever widening wealth gap, and unless you're part of the 1% everything you've mentioned will have a negative effect on your life instead of a positive one.

Labour saving devices have and always be used when they are invented, people move on to do more important things, this is however much more difficult when the pool of available jobs is restricted artificially by the state.

 

[Gezzer]

Labour saving devices have and always be used when they are invented, people move on to do more important things, this is however much more difficult when the pool of available jobs is restricted artificially by the state.

How are they restricted by the state? Dude, there's no conspiracy to restrict available employment. Except where they'll do irreparable harm or be anti-competitive. Fact is governments at every level do more to encourage employment than not. I'm not going to continue debating you on this. You obviously think you're right, and I know I am, so we'll just keep talking past each other which is a waste of time. Respond if you wish, but I won't be beating this dead horse any more.

So long and thanks for all the fish...

 

[VaRmeNsI]

How are they restricted by the state? Dude, there's no conspiracy to restrict available employment. Except where they'll do irreparable harm or be anti-competitive. Fact is governments at every level do more to encourage employment than not. I'm not going to continue debating you on this. You obviously think you're right, and I know I am, so we'll just keep talking past each other which is a waste of time. Respond if you wish, but I won't be beating this dead horse any more.

So long and thanks for all the fish...

I'll respond for the benefit of anyone else who reads this, it's not a conspiracy but how democratic states evolve with laws stacking up over time gradually strangling the economy as politicians seeking election want to appear to be doing something even when that isn't in the long term best interest of the nation and taxes are gradually raised to pay for election promises again and again.

 

[Gezzer]

I'll respond for the benefit of anyone else who reads this, it's not a conspiracy but how democratic states evolve with laws stacking up over time gradually strangling the economy as politicians seeking election want to appear to be doing something even when that isn't in the long term best interest of the nation and taxes are gradually raised to pay for election promises again and again.

Dude?!? I told you not to reply to me. I don't want to continue any conversations with you, period. You're a nut, plain and simple. I've reported you and will do it each and every time you reply to anything I post. I don't want to deal with you in the future. Get it??

 

[VaRmeNsI]

Dude?!? I told you not to reply to me. I don't want to continue any conversations with you, period. You're a nut, plain and simple. I've reported you and will do it each and every time you reply to anything I post. I don't want to deal with you in the future. Get it??