Luke Littler, the youngest darts world champion in history, has applied to the Intellectual Property Office to trademark his face. The move is intended to prevent his face being reproduced, including by generative AI, without permission. Littler has won two World Championship titles in a row and has had his image used legally on darts merchandise, as well as by multiple brands such as KP Nuts. The 19-year-old joins celebrities such as actor Matthew McConaughey who have filed to protect their likeness from AI misuse in recent months. Littler has already trademarked his nickname the Nuke in the United States.

World-class thought leaders discuss how emerging technologies are reshaping business and the future of work. With advanced technologies now at the forefront of nearly every major industry, stakeholders from a range of perspectives will discuss the latest innovations in robotics and AI, the pressing questions posed by their adoption and how these trends are transforming the world of work. The symposium will feature executives from some of the world's leading robotics manufacturers, system integrators, end users, technologists, corporate leaders and academics in a series of engaging panel discussions. Robotics manufacturers will also participate in speed networking with University of Michigan students prior to the symposium and will have robots on-site to showcase their capabilities. The following forward-thinking organizations are participating in the speed networking program: ABB; AMT Applied Manufacturing; the Association for Advancing Automation; ATI Industrial Automation; Comau; FANUC America Corporation; Ford Advanced Manufacturing; Honeywell Intelligrated; JR Automation; Littler; Kawasaki Robotics; KUKA Robotics; Universal Robots; and the University of Michigan Robotics Institute.

Employers, workers, policymakers, and think tanks have begun raising concerns that the push toward automation is going to leave a lot of people without a job--raising loads of ethical and societal questions in the process. With these concerns in mind, a new coalition--co-founded by the National Restaurant Association along with the Littler Workplace Policy Institute and Prime Policy Group--is picking up momentum. The Emma Coalition will study what it calls "technology-induced displacement of employees," or TIDE, and develop ideas for how employers and employees can prepare for and adapt to the effects of increasing automation. "Government, industry, and policymakers all have an opportunity to examine TIDE issues today, and forge consensus around policies that can help us prepare in advance for the technology and workforce of the future," said Shannon Meade, the National Restaurant Association's vice president of public policy and the new coalition's executive director, in comments to Restaurant Business. The coalition is named for the granddaughter of one of the founders.

Nationwide unemployment rates are low and technology can help employers find the best talent in a tight market--but HR can use artificial intelligence (AI) in a number of ways beyond hiring. AI and automation could radically change the workplace and human resource management, said Alden Parker, an attorney with Fisher Phillips in Sacramento. In the HR context, AI typically refers to data that is processed by algorithms to make decisions, he explained at the California State Council of the Society for Human Resource Management 2018 California State Legislative & HR Conference. "Machine learning can be used to constantly improve decision-making quality." For the HR function, AI is most commonly used for talent acquisition.

The use of robotics, AI, and automation in the workplace is no longer relegated to science fiction. Spending on robotics and AI will reach $250 billion during 2020, exceed a trillion dollars during 2025, and sometime thereafter, robotics and AI will become the largest industry in the world. It is projected that by as early as 2025, half of the jobs in the U.S. could be performed by self-learning machines and software. According to Littler, recent advances in the technologies of AI and robotics have led to a sharp increase in the capabilities and cost-effectiveness of automated systems. As employers incorporate robotic technology into the workplace, they must also adapt their compliance systems to this unique and rapidly evolving industry.