Mr. Jim Hirsch reports

QNX RESEARCH REVEALS 77% OF GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY LEADERS TRUSTING OF ROBOTICS IN THE WORKPLACE

QNX, a division of BlackBerry Ltd., has unveiled new research on the growing positive attitudes global technology decision-makers have toward the adoption -- and trust of -- robotics within the workplace.

Rise of the robots and trust trends

The survey of 1,000 executives from across the health care, manufacturing, automotive and heavy machinery industries revealed that the majority (71 per cent) are currently using robotics in their organization or have plans to do so in the future. Notably, nearly four in five (77 per cent) trust robotics to carry out essential functions within their industry, with advancements in safety and risk mitigation (42 per cent) and proven reliability and performance (40 per cent) being the two biggest factors that influence this trust. Across all regions and industries, organizations are embracing the rise of robots within the workplace, with the most common uses being automation (50 per cent), production (46 per cent), support (36 per cent) and high-risk tasks (28 per cent).

Comfort challenges

Despite 70 per cent of executives expressing comfort working alongside a robot within their industry, the study also exposed the reality that comfort levels decrease when comparing types of tasks. While most are content with robotics taking the lead on menial duties like assembly line work (77 per cent), material handling (73 per cent), and logistics and delivery (70 per cent), trust is harder to come by for robotics handling tasks that require more human interaction, such as medical procedures (51 per cent), customer service (55 per cent), and maintenance and repairs (63 per cent), suggesting these areas will be slower to automate than others.

The global robotics market is experiencing significant growth and transformation, and according to global technology intelligence firm ABI Research, the value of the global robotics market will increase from $5- billion (U.S.) in 2024 to $163.9-billion by 2030. With advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning enhancing the capabilities and adoption of robotics, the overall trend points toward increased integration of robotics across various industries.

Safeguarding workers and workplaces

Despite an eagerness toward deployment, the survey also reveals clear areas of caution, with nearly a third of respondents (32 per cent) believing their workplace is not yet prepared to handle the introduction of robotics, creating a potential blind spot for employers when it comes to utilizing their capabilities and, most importantly, keeping workers safe. Additionally, more than half (58 per cent) express concerns about the security risks associated with introducing robotics within their industry, while nearly a third (29 per cent) said that someone in their organization has experienced a robotics-related safety risk or dangerous situation.

"From surgical instruments to self-driving forklifts, industries the world over are embracing robotics in the workplace and are increasingly at ease with the role these new technologies play," said Jim Hirsch, vice-president of general embedded markets at QNX. "This data makes clear, however, that trust is fragile and can easily be broken if robotics are built and deployed without the necessary foundational software to make them performant, safe, secure and reliable. Only when we prioritize the safety of human workers and their environment will workplace robotics achieve their full potential."

Other key findings include:

• Advancements in technology (90 per cent) and improved safety (86 per cent) were called out as the two biggest factors influencing the decision to deploy robotics.
• Ninety-two per cent of respondents feel employees need to be involved in the discussion around robotics integration.
• Almost two-thirds (64 per cent) of respondents think their current government AI and robotics policies and regulations are adequate at addressing the ethical implications within their industry.

QNX provides high-performance operating systems, hypervisors, middleware, solutions and development tools that help simplify the most complex challenges in industries, such as robotics, automotive, medical devices, industrial controls, commercial vehicles, rail, and aerospace and defence. QNX empowers organizations to unlock new possibilities in areas like high-performance computing at the edge, standards-based virtualization technologies, and cloud enablement. Trusted in the world's most critical systems, QNX continues to lead across a range of sectors, including health care, where its technology is deployed by nine of the top-10 medical device manufacturers.

About BlackBerry Ltd.

BlackBerry provides enterprises and governments the intelligent software and services that power the world. Based in Waterloo, Ont., the company's high-performance foundational software enables major automakers and industrial giants alike to unlock transformative applications, drive new revenue streams and launch innovative business models, all without sacrificing safety, security and reliability. With a deep heritage in secure communications, BlackBerry delivers operational resiliency with a comprehensive, highly secure and extensively certified portfolio for mobile fortification, mission-critical communications and critical-events management.