US President Donald Trump aims to revive manufacturing jobs in the US, but his tech allies are backing automation projects that could replace human workers with robots.
The President has disrupted global trade and markets to bring manufacturing back home, while some top tech donors have invested in robotics firms. Elon Musk’s Tesla plans to use humanoid robots for future growth, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has backed several advanced robotics companies, including Figure.
However, experts say there is a fundamental conflict between Trump’s goal of creating jobs through manufacturing and the automation efforts of his tech allies. “Trump is talking about bringing back the jobs, and he’s not understanding the tension between that goal and automation,” says Harry Holzer, a professor at Georgetown University.
Tech leaders, including Musk and Bezos, believe that automation will create new jobs in construction and steelmaking, as well as increase productivity. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says AI will trigger a surge in productivity, allowing companies to add employees as they optimize the machinery.
Despite Trump’s plans, some tech leaders are skeptical about his ability to implement policies that would offset the increased labor costs associated with automation. “If you want to reshore, are you going to pay the same wages as Vietnam? Probably not,” says Yong Suk Lee, a professor of economics and technology at the University of Notre Dame.
Analysts say that automation will likely continue regardless of support from Trump’s tech allies, since producers are locked in competition to lower costs and increase output. The outlook for manufacturing employment is unclear, but experts agree that technology will play a significant role in shaping the industry’s future.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/Business/trumps-create-manufacturing-jobs-tech-allies-invest-robots/story?id=121869903