How robotics and AI are building a better working world

During the holiday season, warehouses across the country used different kinds of robots to fill retail orders and they made--and continue to make--warehouses more efficient than ever before. In fact, if robots were more broadly implemented it's estimated retailers could reduce their fulfillment costs by 450 million to 900 million in North America, according to research from Janney Capital Markets. Today there is a growing group of startup companies developing robots for use in manufacturing, e-commerce and logistics operations. A decade ago, robots working in a warehouse -- or, for that matter, writing newspaper stories, caring for the elderly or providing comfort to hospitalized children -- was the stuff of science fiction. But today, the world is on the cusp of a rapid economic transformation via robotics and artificial intelligence.