Yesterday, I attended the annual corporate-counsel CLE program, sponsored by the DelVal Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel in conjunction with most of the major Philadelphia law firms. One of the sessions I attended was about artificial intelligence. It wasn't especially good. Despite excellent IT equipment, these guys had no idea how to supplement their talk with useful Power Point slides. But, one aspect that I did find intriguing was some discussion of the little delivery 'bots that bring hot meals to the door in the District of Columbia.
I have colleagues who do most of their shopping online now, especially with Amazon Prime. And, even if you do go to the store, you now can check yourself out.
Does this mean the retail clerk is doomed? Maybe not. Here's a good story about what a convenience store manager does that robots can't do. Clearly, it's the personal, human touch that makes this cashier a "value added" aspect of the store.
The story reminds me of a point that Thomas Friedman makes in his latest book, Thank You for Being Late. Friedman argues that the jobs which will survive automation will be those which combine a necessary skill set with a set of human-relations skills.
One of the other presentations I attended at the continuing legal education event yesterday in downtown Philly was about mediation. Two mediators were on the panel, which was unanimous in its view that the right mediator combines a knowledge skill set (familiarity with the industry and the relevant law) with the right personality for the particular mediation. Echoes of Friedman's point, I think.
We have noted at my university a tendency of some students to avoid actual human contact in favor of on-line relationships and interactions. However, I think these folks will always be in the minority. As Woody Allen said in "Annie Hall," most of us still "need the eggs." And so, the retail clerk probably will always be in demand.
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