Robots can’t replace everyone

Imagine almost all of the resort employees in Las Vegas being replaced by robots. Front desk clerks, bartenders, cocktail servers, slot technicians, pit bosses, cashiers, dining employees, exotic dancers — all robots.

From a corporate standpoint, the bottom line is great. Employee costs have been trimmed to almost zero. But from the customer’s standpoint, something is missing. When people come to Las Vegas, they don’t want to talk to robots. They want excitement; they want to talk to people.

The customers, still adjusting to previous changes in the Las Vegas experience — such as getting rid of coins in slot machines, which made the casino floor more like a computer room than an old-style casino — find that the replacement of employees by robots is the final straw.

Casino managers would do well to listen more to their instinct for creating a robust entertainment experience and less to business analysts who advise replacing people.

Roger Witcher, Las Vegas