Automation for the people

When companies lose to their competition, that's when workers lose jobs." These astute comments and others by Jeff Burnstein, president at Association for Automation (A3), were part of a response to a New York Times column written by Thomas B. Edsall that blames robots and artificial intelligence for the displacement of large chunks of Midwestern workers and claims this led to today's current political divisions. I think it would be far more entertaining for us all to check out "Alita: Battle Angel," an epic adventure of hope, empowerment and technology. Like robots and automation, Alita has unique abilities that those in power will stop at nothing to control. This 20th Century Fox film is the futuristic world of Robert Rodriguez, James Cameron and Jon Landau, opening Feb. 14. "Embrace these robots and the new ones as they arrive." In his column, Edsall quotes economists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University: "The Midwest and sections of the South have far higher ratios of robots to population than other regions of the United States." It seems to me Edsall doesn't understand where much of the manufacturing in the United States is located. He should look up where manufacturing contributes well to the U.S. economy and at a higher rate than many other industries. "In actuality, robots and automation have saved and created jobs--and will continue to do so," reads Burnstein's column. Burnstein also noted that Edsall has a gross misunderstanding of the role automation plays in the American economy. "Over the last 25 years, many American manufacturers found themselves unable to compete with the lower costs and higher productivity of foreign manufacturers," writes Burnstein. "They closed their doors or moved their operations.