Walk any direction in Las Vegas and it’s easy to find machines doing human work.
Check-in kiosks have replaced people at the front desk of hotels. Text-bots now make restaurant recommendations instead of a concierge. Robots can serve food, and behind the bar, machines are pouring out drinks.
Automation and technology replacing jobs has long been a conversation in Nevada’s most populated city. Studies show that between 38% to 65% of jobs there could be automated by 2035.
With the use of artificial intelligence on the rise, the economy of this city –which relies on tourism and hospitality — is at an inflection point, as companies look to technology to reduce labor costs.
“Wherever the resort industry can replace their workers and not affect productivity, profits or the customer experience — wherever they can do that with artificial intelligence… they will,” said John Restrepo, principal at RCG Economics in Las Vegas.
“The question is, how do you factor in and how do you adapt your economic development strategy, your community strategy, your resiliency strategy to accommodate a world where certain jobs no longer exist?” he said.
Restrepo said he believes the city has to diversify its economy to be less reliant on tourism and hospitality.
“We need to move … to those occupations that are more highly skilled, that are not easily replaced by AI and that provide a greater level of balance and resilience so we’re not so hard-hit,” Restrepo said.
