Tesla’s AI day was really just a job fair
Can automakers attract enough top talent?
An industry besieged by challenges
The last year hasn’t been great for auto Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). They currently face semi-conductor, rubber, and metal shortages and the impact of factory shutdowns during COVID-19 lockdown periods. Then there’s the bigger problem of a lack of talent — suitably trained professionals to design, build, and test the cars and other vehicles of the future.
Today’s cars are effectively data centers on wheels and require workers with deep expertise in AI, robotics, and a passion for cars. Yet, auto OEMs like Tesla are struggling to attract and retain talent.
Grads don’t really want to work for most auto OEMs
For auto OEMs looking for talent, they should be worried. Employer branding specialistUniversumreleased its 2020 listof most attractive employers for US students. In a list of 100 companies for computer science grads, here’s how car companies fared:
Ford and GM are noticeably absent. Even worse, grads would rather work at Uber (ranked at 35) and Lyft (ranked at 39.)
There’s a huge skills shortage
In 2019,research by Boston Consulting Group and Detroit Mobility Labpredicted that the US mobility industry would need as many as 30,000 additional engineers with advanced-level skills to work on self-driving and electric cars and smart-infrastructure innovations over the next decade.
Other emerging forms of mobility, including autonomous trucks and drones, could push the number of new positions even higher.
Specifically, auto engineers need to be “cross-functional ‘tinkerers,’ who have a strong foundation in mathematics and physics; deep skills in artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotics, data sciences, and software; and a passion for cars.”
It’s no surprise that auto companies frequently acquire startups to access their talent pool. Pretty much every role is embedded with technology.
Even those working the factory floor are deploying tech such as machine learning, IoT sensors, predictive analytics, robotics, and AR to construct vehicles.
Aware of this,Tesla introduceda prototype of their very owngeneral-purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robotthat can take over unsafe, repetitive, and boring tasks. The robot will use the same computer chip and eight cameras as Tesla vehicles. It will, in the future, carry 20 kgs and move as fast as 8 kilometres per hour.
Musk said:
We can likely see the robot working in Tesla factories in the future.But it’ll be a long time before we see a fully robotic workforce — Tesla would need to hire enough suitably skilled people to be able to design, build, and train them first.
Story byCate Lawrence
Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart ci(show all)Cate Lawrence is an Australian tech journo living in Berlin. She focuses on all things mobility: ebikes, autonomous vehicles, VTOL, smart cities, and the future of alternative energy sources like electric batteries, solar, and hydrogen.
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