Reflecting on Worker Impact at the CRC Robotics Symposium

In 2024 and 2025, the Open Roboethics Institute convened two roundtables at the CRC Robotics Symposium focused on a pressing and often underexamined question: how is robotics reshaping the lives and work of human workers? Bringing together researchers, industry leaders, policymakers, and labor-focused stakeholders, the discussions explored both immediate workplace implications and longer-term structural shifts driven by robotic systems.

Across both years, participants emphasized that robotics is not simply replacing tasks—it is reorganizing workflows, redefining skill requirements, and reshaping accountability structures in complex environments. While automation presents opportunities for improved safety and efficiency, concerns were raised around worker displacement, uneven risk distribution, and the need for clearer governance frameworks to support fair transitions.

The insights from these discussions have been synthesized in the CRC 2024 report and reflected in our policy brief submission to the Canadian AI strategy sprint. Together, they highlight the importance of embedding worker-centered perspectives into robotics innovation and ensuring that deployment strategies are informed by evidence, stakeholder dialogue, and proactive policy design.

As robotics systems become more integrated into everyday industries, sustained, interdisciplinary engagement will be essential to ensure technological advancement strengthens — rather than destabilizes — the future of work.