Smart Robots Put 10.5M US Jobs At High Risk, New Report Says

Cooks prepare and serve food, clean workspaces, and interact with customers. But robots are already flipping burgers, and McDonalds is installing food-ordering kiosks in 2,500 stores this year. The same day that news was anounced, the iconic fast-food chain's shares hit an all-time high and analysts upgraded the stock. "Dramatic increases in labor costs have a significant effect on the restaurant industry, where profit margins are pennies on the dollar and labor makes up about a third of total expenses," says Andy Puzder, a former restaurant chain CEO, in the report. "As a result, restaurants are looking to reduce costs while maintaining service and food quality." However, the report does also outline how AI and automation can function alongside existing workers to improve results and free up human workers for higher-level functions.