It seems that Target has chosen San Francisco (so blessed) to test out its newest potential replacement for human labor. Say hello to "Tally," a shelf-scanning robot that Fortune reports the company is hoping will eventually do store inventory. This, at least according to some store clerks, is merely a week-long test, and does not signal that the singularity is at hand.
The future is here! Target in downtown San Francisco has a robot that scans the aisles managing inventory! pic.twitter.com/Nug1cpJhZL
— Mike Yawney (@Gadget_Guy) April 26, 2016
The robot is the work of Simbe Robotics, a Silicon Valley robotics startup that looks to "[automate] the most mundane, repetitive tasks in retail execution." The company writes that "Tally performs the repetitive and laborious tasks of auditing shelves for out-of-stock items, low stock items, misplaced items, and pricing errors," all the while "[operating] safely during normal store hours alongside shoppers and employees."
What do the Target employees think about the machine that's coming for their jobs? One clerk told Fortune it seemed slow. Give it time, Target employee. Give it time.
Related: Video: Google-Owned Boston Dynamics Improves Their Terrifying, Terminator-Like Robots