I was at the Denver airport and saw a robot cleaning crew working next to a real janitor who looked worried

4 comments

4 Comments

Yeah, that line about the janitor looking worried hits hard. I read an article a while back about airport cleaning robots, and it talked about how the human staff often have to stop their own work to help the robots when they get stuck on a cord or confused by a chair. So the person isn't just worried about their job long-term, they might be dealing with a broken robot right now that's making their shift harder. It's like adding a high-maintenance coworker that management thinks is your replacement.

john_fisher2mo ago

That's a really good point from @faith_hart20. It's not just future anxiety, it's present-day extra work. Having to babysit the machine that's supposed to replace you adds a whole layer of insult to the injury.

jana_black2mo ago

My cousin works at O'Hare and says those floor bots get lost twice a shift. What's the point if they need more help than they give?

smith.parker13d agoMost Upvoted

See it the other way. Those robots probably take over the nasty jobs like scrubbing gum off floors or cleaning bathroom stalls. The janitor might be worried about having to go fix a robot instead of doing actual work.