The rise of robots and AI in retail, food service, and delivery is shrinking entry‑level jobs that traditionally gave teenagers their first work experience. While machine vision and automation have improved, they are replacing tasks such as shelf‑scanning, stocking, and even food delivery. This shift moves compensation from workers to owners and leaves young people without the financial literacy and interpersonal skills gained from early employment. The article argues that the current push toward automation offers little benefit to consumers while exacerbating income inequality and limiting career pathways for the next generation. Read more →

A recent study involving elementary‑aged children discovered that reading aloud to a social robot reduced physiological signs of anxiety compared with reading alone or to a human adult. The experiment measured voice steadiness, heart rate and facial temperature, finding calmer responses when the robot was the audience. Comprehension scores remained unchanged, suggesting the robot’s presence lowered stress without affecting learning outcomes. Researchers propose that social robots could serve as low‑pressure listeners in classroom settings, helping students build confidence in public speaking tasks. Read more →

A recent study involving elementary‑aged children discovered that reading aloud to a social robot reduced physiological signs of anxiety compared with reading alone or to a human adult. The experiment measured voice steadiness, heart rate and facial temperature, finding calmer responses when the robot was the audience. Comprehension scores remained unchanged, suggesting the robot’s presence lowered stress without affecting learning outcomes. Researchers propose that social robots could serve as low‑pressure listeners in classroom settings, helping students build confidence in public speaking tasks. Read more →

A recent study involving elementary‑aged children discovered that reading aloud to a social robot reduced physiological signs of anxiety compared with reading alone or to a human adult. The experiment measured voice steadiness, heart rate and facial temperature, finding calmer responses when the robot was the audience. Comprehension scores remained unchanged, suggesting the robot’s presence lowered stress without affecting learning outcomes. Researchers propose that social robots could serve as low‑pressure listeners in classroom settings, helping students build confidence in public speaking tasks. Read more →

A recent study involving elementary‑aged children discovered that reading aloud to a social robot reduced physiological signs of anxiety compared with reading alone or to a human adult. The experiment measured voice steadiness, heart rate and facial temperature, finding calmer responses when the robot was the audience. Comprehension scores remained unchanged, suggesting the robot’s presence lowered stress without affecting learning outcomes. Researchers propose that social robots could serve as low‑pressure listeners in classroom settings, helping students build confidence in public speaking tasks. Read more →

A recent study involving elementary‑aged children discovered that reading aloud to a social robot reduced physiological signs of anxiety compared with reading alone or to a human adult. The experiment measured voice steadiness, heart rate and facial temperature, finding calmer responses when the robot was the audience. Comprehension scores remained unchanged, suggesting the robot’s presence lowered stress without affecting learning outcomes. Researchers propose that social robots could serve as low‑pressure listeners in classroom settings, helping students build confidence in public speaking tasks. Read more →