MIT Technology Review · Dec 21, 2017
MIT Technology Review argues robots cannot fill Britain’s post-Brexit labor gaps
MIT Technology Review published this article on December 21, 2017, at 05:00 UTC. It argues that robotics and artificial intelligence are unlikely to fill labor gaps if Brexit reduces the supply of EU workers. The article points to jobs in cleaning, clothing manufacture, hospitality, and health care, where it says manual dexterity, interpersonal skills, or empathy make automation difficult. It also describes obstacles to automating other work: the cost of equipment, limited investment, uncertainty about the post-Brexit climate, and a shortage of people with robotics and AI expertise. These are the article’s assessment and reported evidence, not a measurement of how much work automation can replace. The article also reports that Matt Hancock viewed government support for infrastructure and skills as a way to encourage adoption, while other commentators warned that political uncertainty could delay investment. Would employers invest in automation enough to address labor gaps, given the costs and adoption barriers described?
Keep in view: Text as retrieved on 2026-10-26; originally published 2017-12-21T05:00:00Z. The article presents estimates, survey findings, and attributed views; this evidence does not establish how many jobs automation would replace or how labor gaps developed afterward. The retrieved page is marked as edited after publication; later additions are not treated here as part of the original article.
Original source · Added 2026-10-29T00:18:24.140Z
