{"id":687563,"date":"2025-08-28T08:15:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T05:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-automation-still-needs-humans\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T08:15:16","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T05:15:16","slug":"why-automation-still-needs-humans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-automation-still-needs-humans\/","title":{"rendered":"Why automation still needs humans"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af19bd619d02\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af19bd619d02\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-automation-still-needs-humans\/#Bananas_and_champagne\" >Bananas and champagne<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-automation-still-needs-humans\/#Could_AI_be_coming_for_your_boss_Dont_get_your_hopes_too_high\" >Could AI be coming for your boss? (Don\u2019t get your hopes too high)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-automation-still-needs-humans\/#The_rise_of_%E2%80%9CAI-free_Fridays%E2%80%9D\" >The rise of \u201cAI-free Fridays\u201d<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-main-content\">\n<p>Watching robots awkwardly flop around, cause robot body pile-ups on the soccer field, and accidentally lose their heads while taking part in a 1500-metre sprint at the first Robot Humanoid <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a>s in China was not only entertaining, it was a reminder of just how far robotics has come \u2014 and how far it still has to go.<\/p>\n<p>While humanoid robots still struggle to walk across a stage, in other corners of the world automation is quietly revolutionising industries. At Picnic Technologies, the Netherlands\u2019 fastest growing online supermarket, robots are compiling your grocery orders so delivery \u2018shoppers\u2019 can get them from the warehouse to your refrigerator as fast as possible.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s these innovations that have helped the once humble startup scale rapidly to compete with supermarket behemoths like Albert Heijn. The company\u2019s CTO, Daniel Gebler, recently shared the secrets behind the company\u2019s success with TNW founder, Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten, as they drove through the streets of Amsterdam in the latest episode of \u201cKia\u2019s Next Big Drive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><span>Check out the full interview \u2014 recorded en route to TNW2025 in\u00a0<\/span><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kia.com\/nl\/modellen\/ev9\/ontdekken\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.kia.com\/nl\/modellen\/ev9\/ontdekken\/\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">Kia\u2019s all-electric EV9<\/a><span>\u00a0\u2014 by clicking on the image below:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"resp-video-container\"><iframe title=\"Kia\u2019s Next Big Drive: How Picnic\u2019s robots are challenging supermarket giants \ud83e\udd16\ud83c\udf4d\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcdoc=\"&lt;style&gt;*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{background:#000;height:100%}img{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;object-fit:cover;transition:opacity .1s cubic-bezier(0.4,0,1,1)}a:hover img+img{opacity:1!important}&lt;\/style&gt;&lt;a href=\" https:=\"\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/ExsLz2YiZRQ\/hqdefault.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cyberdelia\/assets\/img\/ytplaybtn.png\" style=\"top: 50%;left:50%;width:68px;height:48px;transform:translate3d(-50%,-50%,0)\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/themes\/cyberdelia\/assets\/img\/ytplaybtn-hover.png\" style=\"top: 50%;left:50%;width:68px;height:48px;opacity:0;transform:translate3d(-50%,-50%,0)\"\/>&#8221; frameborder=&#8221;0&#8243; allow=&#8221;accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share&#8221; referrerpolicy=&#8221;strict-origin-when-cross-origin&#8221; allowfullscreen&gt;<\/iframe><\/div>\n<div class=\"inarticle-wrapper channel-cta\">\n<div class=\"ica-text\">\n<p class=\"ica-text__title\">TNW City Coworking space &#8211; Where your best work h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens<\/p>\n<p>A workspace designed for growth, collaboration, and endless networking opportunities in the heart of tech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Caption: Gebler and Veldhuijzen van Zanten winding through the canals on their way to TNW2025.<\/p>\n<p>But while Gebler holds a PhD in AI and is driving automation at scale, he\u2019s clear that robots won\u2019t replace humans entirely.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bananas_and_champagne\"><\/span><strong>Bananas and champagne <\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Previously, Picnic\u2019s \u2018shoppers,\u2019 who fill orders and deliver them to customers\u2019 doors, had to walk around large warehouses picking out each item.<\/p>\n<p>Now the company\u2019s fully-automated fulfilment centres in the Netherlands and Germany are helping to lighten the load (and the number of steps shoppers have to take) by automating the item picking process with robotic arms.<\/p>\n<p>At its newest order fulfilment centre in Oberhausen, Germany, Picnic is capable of processing up to 33,000 online orders per day, serving up to 200,000 households. The warehouse employs 1,500 robots\u2026 and 1,000 humans.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because some tasks are still better handled by people.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bananas and champagne:<\/strong> Robots struggle with irregularly shaped items, fragile goods like eggs, or high-value products like champagne bottles.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Packing efficiency:<\/strong> Humans can easily rearrange crates to maximize space, while robots require predefined layouts. They also have trouble opening boxes.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Final touches:<\/strong> Even in highly automated centers, the last step \u2014 packing items into a customer\u2019s delivery box \u2014 is still done by hand.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To work around these limits, Picnic uses product whitelisting to decide which orders a robot can fill. For example, an order containing bags of crisps and heavy bottles of soda would be a no go for a robot.<\/p>\n<p>So, as robots evolve will they ever completely replace Picnic\u2019s warehouse shoppers?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbsolutely not. As mentioned, it isn\u2019t our goal to replace them either, but rather to use robots to boost our warehouse\u2019s performance. Shoppers remain at the core of our warehouse operations, with robots complementing their efforts,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.picnic.nl\/automating-the-pick-how-picnic-is-integrating-robots-in-their-order-picking-process-61723ea56abf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">says<\/a> Picnic software engineer Jhon Mauro Gomez.<\/p>\n<p>In other words: automation makes Picnic faster and more efficient, but it\u2019s a collaboration, not a takeover.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Could_AI_be_coming_for_your_boss_Dont_get_your_hopes_too_high\"><\/span><strong>Could AI be coming for your boss? (Don\u2019t get your hopes too high)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The rise of AI is also transforming what \u201cmanagement\u201d means inside companies. But Gebler believes AI won\u2019t necessarily eliminate management entirely \u2014 it will reinvent it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost likely what we now have as management won\u2019t exist anymore,\u201d Gebler said. \u201cThe relevance of ownership \u2014 owning what you build, owning what you run \u2014 will become even more important. Because everybody will be a designer, a builder, and also an operator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This shift gives teams more autonomy and room for experimentation. At Picnic, developers have used that freedom to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Launch return deliveries:<\/strong> Customers can now return retail items from other brands using Picnic\u2019s delivery vans \u2014 making the fleet more efficient.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Offer meals, not just items:<\/strong> Families benefit more from curated meal packages rather than piecing together individual products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_rise_of_%E2%80%9CAI-free_Fridays%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>The rise of \u201cAI-free Fridays\u201d<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Gebler is also pushing for \u201cAI-free days\u201d \u2014 dedicated time where developers ditch AI tools and sharpen their human skills. Because while AI can crunch data, it still can\u2019t improvise like a human.<\/p>\n<p>Whether in grocery warehouses or corporate boardrooms, the future isn\u2019t humans <em>versus<\/em> robots \u2014 it\u2019s humans <em>with<\/em> robots. Automation is best at handling repetitive, structured tasks. Humans shine in areas requiring adaptability, creativity, and judgment.<\/p>\n<p>From bananas and champagne to AI-free Fridays, Picnic is proving that the future of work is not about replacement, but reinvention.<\/p>\n<p>Image credit: \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/80267257@N05\/9151769704\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BvOF RoboCup2013 \u2013 RoboCup Soccer Nao<\/a>\u201d by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/80267257@N05\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">RoboCup2013<\/a>\u00a0is licensed under\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0\/?ref=openverse\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CC BY 2.0<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/bananas-champagne-robots-why-automation-needs-humans\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Watching robots awkwardly flop around, cause robot body pile-ups on the soccer field, and accidentally lose their heads while taking part in a 1500-metre sprint at the first Robot Humanoid Games in China was not only entertaining, it was a reminder of just how far robotics has come \u2014 and how far it still has&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":687564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw-blurple?filter_last=1&fit=1280%2C640&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2025%2F08%2F9151769704_46d32a7cce_k.jpg&signature=af59fba6cd5b4f2fe3da27a6391d284d","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-687563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=687563"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/687563\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/687564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=687563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=687563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=687563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}