Japanese convenience stores are hiring robots run by workers in the Philippines
a day ago
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- Telexistence, a Tokyo-based startup, deploys AI robots in over 300 FamilyMart and Lawson stores in Tokyo, with plans to expand to 7-Elevens.
- The robots are remotely monitored 24/7 by employees of Astro Robotics in Manila, addressing Japan's worker shortage due to an aging population.
- Each tele-operator, or 'pilot,' monitors around 50 robots at a time, stepping in when robots make mistakes (about 4% of the time).
- Tele-operators use VR headsets and joysticks to manually correct robot errors, such as picking up dropped items.
- The Philippines is experiencing a boom in AI- and automation-related jobs, with many workers employed by foreign firms.
- Filipino tech workers are involved in tasks like maneuvering industrial robots, driving autonomous vehicles, and building AI agents.
- Despite the growth in tech jobs, workers face challenges such as low pay, lack of benefits, and job insecurity due to automation.
- Telexistence is using tele-operation data to train fully autonomous robots, aiming to shift from manual to autonomous operations.
- Experts predict a hybrid future workforce where humans and AI/robots collaborate, rather than full automation replacing all jobs.
- Filipino IT engineers are helping build AI systems for global corporations, often at lower wages compared to their counterparts in developed countries.
- Some Filipino workers are choosing to stay with local companies to support local AI development, despite higher offers from foreign firms.