Incredibly, the robots in Japanese convenience stores are remotely controlled by Filipino workers.

Japanese robots operated by Filipinos? "Cloud outsourcing of labor" in the cyber age?

Guys, today while I was casually surfing the internet, I came across a news article that almost made me think the plot of Cyberpunk 2077 had come true.

It's about well - known Japanese convenience stores like FamilyMart and Lawson. More than 300 of these stores in Japan have started using robots to restock the freezers.

Just imagining this, a vivid picture popped into my mind.

Late at night on the streets of Tokyo, you walk into a 24 - hour convenience store. There isn't a single living person inside, but there's a dexterous robotic arm working away.

It never gets tired, never complains. It's all about mechanical aesthetics and ultimate efficiency.

In fact, these robots were designed by a Tokyo - based startup called Telexistence, with technical support from NVIDIA and Microsoft. Doesn't it sound super high - tech?

As we all know, Japan has a serious aging problem and a shortage of labor. It's quite reasonable to use robots to replace menial and physical labor. It seems to be the future development direction.

But being the inquisitive person I am, I dug deeper into this matter and found that things seem a bit surreal?

01

Japanese robots, Filipino souls

You might think the robots are working autonomously, but in fact, behind each cold - looking robot, there's a Filipino guy sitting 1,500 kilometers away.

That's right. When you're buying a can of Coke at a FamilyMart in Tokyo, the "robot" that stocked the Coke for you might have its "soul" sitting in an office in Manila.

This is how the system works:

These robots can usually operate autonomously, but AI can be stupid sometimes. For example, it might accidentally knock over a drink or misidentify a position. According to official data, the error rate is about 4%.

Don't underestimate this 4%. You know, humans also have a relatively high error rate, but the good thing is that humans can correct their own mistakes, so the final result is usually quite good.

But if it's a robot and it knocks over a drink, it doesn't know how to clean it up. That's when the real action begins.

As soon as the alarm goes off, the "driver" in Manila, the Philippines, will be notified. He'll immediately put on a VR headset, pick up the joystick, and through the Internet, instantly "possess" the robot 1,500 kilometers away.

His field of vision is the same as the robot's camera view, and his hands control the robotic arm. He manually picks up the fallen drink and puts it back on the shelf.

The whole process is like playing a surreal first - person VR game.

A Filipino company called Astro Robotics specializes in providing these remote "drivers" for Telexistence. They're on standby 24/7, and one person can monitor about 50 robots at the same time.

Japanese companies provide the technology and market positions, while Filipino companies provide the labor. I have to say, both sides are very shrewd in this industry.

It's an established fact that Japan is short of labor. This year, they're planning to bring in 500,000 Indians to ease the labor shortage, despite facing a lot of controversy.

Now, they've successfully "cloud - outsourced" physical labor overseas through a single internet cable. This not only solves the domestic labor shortage problem but also bypasses the complex immigration policies. Most importantly, the cost is significantly reduced.

I'd call this the prototype of "digital colonialism."

02

When the apprentice learns too well, the master starves

At this point, you might think, "This is great, isn't it? It's a win - win situation. Japan solves its labor problem, and the Philippines creates job opportunities."

Hold on. Let's take a look at the real situation of these Filipino "drivers."

You might think that people who can operate high - tech equipment must be senior engineers with a monthly salary of over ten thousand yuan, right?

In reality, most of these young people have degrees in engineering and computer science. They're doing this "cyber convenience store clerk" job in an office in Manila, earning a monthly salary between $250 and $315.

Converted to RMB, it's what we usually call "a monthly salary of two thousand yuan."

A "robot operator" of the same level in the United States can earn nearly $6,000. The salary in the Philippines is less than one - tenth of that in the United States, which is extremely cheap.

This salary level is similar to that of customer service representatives in local call centers. They have no additional benefits and are mostly on contract jobs.

Since convenience stores are open 24 hours a day, they have to work in 8 - hour shifts. On average, they need to manually intervene up to 50 times a day, with each operation lasting a maximum of 5 minutes.

Although this job might seem much easier than physical labor, it actually has its own occupational diseases.

Due to the frequent switching of VR perspectives, "VR motion sickness," which is unique to VR glasses, has become an occupational disease specific to this position.

The specific symptoms are probably "a complete disorder of the sense of distance and space, followed by severe dizziness, nausea, and visual fatigue."

There's also a more ironic thing.

Feeding data to AI is nothing new. While they're acting as "nannies" for these AI robots and correcting their mistakes, they're also accumulating operation data. By continuously correcting and training the AI, they're making the robots smarter.

It's obvious what the end result will be: They're teaching the robots to take away their own jobs with their own hands.

Who would have thought that the old saying "When the apprentice learns too well, the master starves" would also apply in the cyber age. I have to say, our ancestors were really far - sighted.

03

In the cyber age, where do humans stand?

Ever since Alpha Go beat Ke Jie at Go, Midjourney started challenging painters, and ChatGPT started writing copy, I've been worried.

Maybe it's because they've more or less affected my own survival. This kind of anxiety is inevitable.

Today, young people in the Philippines are remotely controlling Japanese robots.

What about tomorrow? Will we be sitting in an office, remotely controlling construction robots in an African country to build walls? Will your takeout be delivered by a driverless car remotely operated by someone in another country?

This "cross - border cloud outsourcing" model completely digitizes and fragments physical labor, and then packages it and throws it to the cheapest labor markets around the world.

It breaks geographical limitations and selects the cheapest labor globally. Bosses must be happy, but it's also more ruthless. It might sound far - fetched, but it's actually happening right around us.

Do you think the e - commerce customer service chatting with you is a real person? It might just be an AI model.

Do you think AI painting tools create out of thin air? Behind them are countless painters' works being used as data for feeding.

Do you think self - driving cars can really drive on their own? There's also a safety operator controlling them.

While we're enjoying the convenience brought by AI, we might unknowingly become a small screw in this huge system, a "remote driver" who can be replaced at any time.

So, the next time you're amazed by a fully automated piece of black technology, you might want to ask: Is there really no one behind it? Most of the time, there must be someone monitoring it.

But if there really isn't anyone behind it,

Where do humans stand?

References:

Telexistence to Install AI Restocking Robots in 300 Convenience Stores Across Japan, Telexistence Inc;

Japanese convenience stores are hiring robots run by workers in the Philippines, rest of world.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Tech Fox" (ID: kejihutv). Author: Old Fox, Editor: Zhijian. Republished by 36Kr with permission.