A scholar, Sylvia Erigbe, has emphasised that Artificial Intelligence, robotics, and automation should be designed to enhance human roles rather than replace them in the labour market.
Presenting insights from her latest research, titled “Reshaping the Workforce: The Impact of AI, Automation, and Robotics on Labour Markets,” in an interview on Monday with The PUNCH, Erigbe argued that while machines excel at precision and speed, they cannot replicate uniquely human qualities.
“Machines are great at speed, precision, and processing data. But humans bring creativity, empathy, and judgment — the qualities that technology cannot replicate.
“AI should not erase these roles but empower us to use them more effectively,” she said.
Erigbe noted that public debates about automation often swing between extremes — utopian visions of limitless productivity and dystopian fears of mass unemployment.
Her research, she explained, aims to strike a balance by presenting evidence of both risks and opportunities across industries.
“What we’re facing is not the end of work, but the reshaping of it. The real question is whether governments, businesses, and workers can adapt quickly enough to the new realities,” she added.
According to her, industries such as aviation, logistics, retail, and manufacturing will undergo significant transformation, with some roles declining but new opportunities also emerging.
She, therefore, called for urgent reskilling and lifelong learning programmes to prepare workers for roles where human skills complement technology.
Her recommendations include: targeted reskilling and upskilling to prepare workers for emerging fields; policy reforms to protect vulnerable groups most at risk of displacement; inclusive technology adoption strategies that prioritise human-tech collaboration over full replacement; and safety nets for low-skilled and older workers.
“If we invest in people as much as we invest in machines, the future of work will be both inclusive and innovative,” she emphasised.
Her research comes at a time when companies are making billion-dollar decisions about AI integration, often without fully accounting for long-term workforce impacts.
“The next decade could be one of the most dynamic and inclusive periods in workforce history, if we act now,” she noted.
Erigbe currently works as an Operations Leader at Amazon, where she integrates efficiency, sustainability, and innovation in one of the world’s largest logistics networks.
Her career spans corporate leadership, community initiatives, and cross-sector collaborations, positioning her as both a researcher and practitioner of future-of-work strategies.
For her, the path forward is clear: AI should be a tool that strengthens human potential.
“The workforce of tomorrow will be smarter and stronger if humans and machines are partners, not rivals,” she maintained.
