Fully automated production lines do not work for free. Their basic energy needs are often even greater than those of people. They also require periodic upgrades and running repairs. But unlike employees, they don’t strike, and when they are no longer fit for purpose they don’t demand severance packages or expect to be supported by pension plans. More than this, replacing or recycling them incurs no moral costs, with the result that no CEO is going to lose sleep before having them uninstalled and dispatched for recycling or scrap.
