What do you think? From emerging trends to the latest business principles, Furniture News is setting out to gauge the trade’s feelings on a variety of industry-specific topics. Today, we’re asking our panel: What’s your take on automation and AI in the workplace?
Martin Adams (Mattress Online): The amount of tools which are becoming AI capable is incredible. ChatGPT has taken the world by storm by giving everyone a virtual assistant to do some of the heavy lifting. But the real value of AI lies in the lesser-known use cases, such as how we interpret data to personalise the consumer experience, or how we visually engage with the content. There’s a lot of compelling technology appearing that in 2-3 years will have a huge impact across many industries
Greg French (Westgarth Furniture): Its coming, but it will be slow in the furniture industry – first adopters will take advantage and thrive
Jerry Cheshire (bed and mattress expert): Ignore it at your peril. The bed industry isn’t renowned for embracing new technology, but it will come. There is still an early adopter advantage
Sam Jackson (Bluebone Imports): Constantly changing technologies, if implemented correctly, could ultimately deliver improved efficiencies and save both time and money, creating a less stressful working environment
Jonathan Staker (Vanquish): It is absolutely necessary, but will only work when overseen by smart people. You get out of AI the quality you put in. Those expecting it to be replace human intelligence will be the ones that fail. It should not be feared in that sense
Mike Murray (Land of Beds): I believe automation and AI in the workplace have the potential to revolutionise productivity by eliminating specific tasks and creating room for the amplification of human skills. However, it’s crucial to recognise that essential ‘soft skills’, which offer businesses a competitive edge, will remain indispensable. Thoughtful implementation that combines automation and AI with human capabilities holds the key to developing a workforce that is highly efficient and effective
Paul Little (Airsprung Group): They’re very different. As with any technology, they bring huge opportunities, but also potential challenges. Both have been portrayed as job-killers, but I don’t think that’s accurate. I think a lot of it will be about making our people more productive
James Dunne (Prestige Beds): I think automation is essential for growth and scaling a business, improving efficiency and saving time. AI also has its place and can add value and improve customer service, but I believe human interaction is still important. Our people, rather than our technology, are the lifeblood of our business
Brian Levitt (Brian Levitt Sales Agencies): It’s a natural progression, as finding the right staff is getting more and more difficult
This article featured in June's issue of Furniture News.
