Are manufacturers ready for machines that learn faster than people?

Robotics and AI promise 15% productivity gains with workforce empowerment. But will cost pressure force manufacturers to choose between automation efficiency and job quality? Can upskilling genuinely overcome adoption barriers, or does AI simply displace workers faster than retraining absorbs them? This session examines where human-robot collaboration authentically strengthens workers—and where automation masks displacement.

• Do AI-powered AMRs deliver efficiency without workforce displacement, or does cost pressure ultimately optimise labour away?
• Will upskilling keep pace with automation, or fall behind?
• Does human–robot collaboration strengthen the workforce, or mask job elimination with partnership rhetoric?