This report Conference Board of Canada report, which came out in January 2021, covers industry-specific trends and attitudes that shape how Canadian organizations adopt automation, using surveys and interviews of managers and front line workers. Key findings indicate the importance of integrating digital applications and mobile devices, workforce preparedness, understanding the pressure placed on employees to ‘up-skill,’ and compatibility of automation with existing systems. Barriers to embracing automation are also discussed and include labor shortages, reactive response by employees, insufficient system testing, and inconsistent regulations.
Key words: AI, privacy/cybersecurity, robotics, protocols/standards, controls/standards, software development