Student's perception of robots in the workplace

Robots and artificial intelligence are no longer just something that the future might bring. Future generations of workers will certainly work with robots in their work environments. The trend toward automation has been present for decades, especially in industrial production. However, the increasing affordability of computers and other high-tech solutions, as well as the outbreak of Covid-19, which has created additional pressures toward less social interaction between humans, may accelerate these processes. The aim of this study is to understand the attitudes and opinions of students at the University of Rijeka towards robots in the workplace and workplace automation in general. The instrument used for the research is a thirteen question survey conducted through Google Forms. A total of 234 students completed the questionnaire. The results show that respondents are not receptive to robots, that they doubt the ability of robots to replace humans in the workplace, and that they would consider it unfair for an employer to choose a solution offered by a robot over their own. Most of the respondents in the sample also believe that one needs one to three years of work experience, while they claim that a university degree is sufficient for the job. It has been shown that the opinions of the respondents within the categories themselves are very different, which means that the respondents commit themselves to certain questions or scenarios.