Some interpolation. Cutting humans out by 50% has a surprisingly small effect because we've got most of the low-hanging fruit there and you end up with other human costs getting in the way.
You've got to drop them to 0 to really matter.
"We have automated gas stations 95% of the time I show up pump my gas and go."
But there's a guy in the store, and it's going to take a lot of work to get him/her out. The rest of the stuff you mentioned is low-hanging fruit long plucked, and getting the rest of the way there takes a lot of stuff.
"The human greeter at Wallmart is a great example of this as their job could be done by a sign, OK they also cut down on shoplifters."
Cutting down on shoplifting is their primary job; greeters are secondary. Also, to the extent that greeters make people feel more at home and more likely to spend, that's something nothing but a human is going to accomplish.
Some interpolation. Cutting humans out by 50% has a surprisingly small effect because we've got most of the low-hanging fruit there and you end up with other human costs getting in the way.
You've got to drop them to 0 to really matter.
"We have automated gas stations 95% of the time I show up pump my gas and go."
But there's a guy in the store, and it's going to take a lot of work to get him/her out. The rest of the stuff you mentioned is low-hanging fruit long plucked, and getting the rest of the way there takes a lot of stuff.
"The human greeter at Wallmart is a great example of this as their job could be done by a sign, OK they also cut down on shoplifters."
Cutting down on shoplifting is their primary job; greeters are secondary. Also, to the extent that greeters make people feel more at home and more likely to spend, that's something nothing but a human is going to accomplish.