Don’t fear an AI-induced jobs apocalypse just yet
The West suffers from too little automation, not too much
“I think we might exceed a one-to-one ratio of humanoid robots to humans,” Elon Musk declared on March 1st. Coming from the self-styled technoking of Tesla, it was not so much a prediction as a promise. Mr Musk’s car company is developing one such artificially intelligent automaton, codenamed Optimus, for use at home and in the factory. His remarks, made during Tesla’s investor day, were accompanied by a video of Optimus walking around apparently unassisted.
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This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Where are all the robots?”

From the March 11th 2023 edition
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How Trump’s tariffs could crush American carmakers
They must hope the levies do not endure
The Economist’s office agony uncle is back
Another bulging postbag for Max Flannel

The smiling new face of German big business
From Allianz to Zalando, pedlars of services are outdoing industrial firms at home—and foreign rivals abroad
Airbus has not taken full advantage of Boeing’s weakness
That could leave a gap for other planemakers to fill
The business of second-hand clothing is booming
Can it be profitable, too?
Zyn is giving investors a buzz—for now
Nicotine pouches are growing fast