Automated future: Computers and robotics already changing retail and the workplace

Ordering your lunch or coffee using a self-serve computer screen instead of speaking to a human is one of the most obvious examples of how the workplace and retail experience is becoming more automated. Such automation has become so common that Starbucks is taking steps to make sure the process doesn't feel so, well, robotic. Starbucks announced this month that it was installing two-way video screens at its drive-thus to personalize the transaction, "allowing customers and baristas to see each other and truly interact when the order is being placed." Starbucks also said its mobile order and pay program, which allows customers to order through a phone app and swoop in to pick up an order without waiting in line, also provides "personalized customer experiences." Other fast food outlets, including A&W and McDonald's, also give customers the option to bypass or minimize human interaction with self-serve screen kiosks, and experts predict the automation of work tasks is likely going to speed up in coming years.