The Dockworkers’ Warning: Why Assistants Must Embrace AI
The Wall Street Journal reported last month that dockworkers in the United States are increasingly concerned about AI taking their jobs at ports across the country. This situation caught my attention because their concerns mirror those of us working as assistants (both virtual and in-person) and call center agents.
Across ports worldwide, autonomous vehicles, robotic cranes, and computer vision systems are increasingly managing the flow of goods. U.S. dockworkers, feeling threatened by this technology, are fighting hard against its adoption through their unions. However, this resistance may come at a significant cost to U.S. competitiveness.
Take, for example, Shanghai’s Yangshan Deep Water Port, one of the world’s largest automated ports. It can move 113 containers per hour — an incredible feat compared to the heavily unionized Port of Oakland, where I live, which only manages about 25 containers per hour. In advanced ports like Yangshan and Rotterdam, self-driving vehicles transport containers between docks and stacking yards, following painted lines on the ground. These zero-emission automated vehicles work continuously without human intervention.
The automation extends to stacking cranes, which work in tandem with self-driving vehicles to manage containers in port yards, repositioning them efficiently when needed. In Rotterdam, these automated cranes have boosted productivity by 40 percent compared to conventional methods.
Despite these benefits, dockworkers remain firmly opposed. Harold Daggett, leader of the International Longshoremen’s Association, has vowed to fight port automation, viewing it as a pretext for job elimination. He has even proposed that union members internationally refuse to work with shipping companies that use automated equipment. Following a three-day strike in early October, longshoremen will return to negotiations with shipping companies in mid-January. I’m also not sure what is going to happen after January since our new President is not a fan of unions and is very business-friendly.
I understand the workers’ perspective — the fear of job loss is very real. However, I believe that instead of fighting against automation, they should focus on retooling and learning to work alongside AI and automated systems. The industry will move forward with this technology regardless of resistance. It would be better to adapt now and acquire new skills to preserve their employment opportunities. We cannot stand against progress; more efficient ports will boost commerce and ultimately create new types of jobs.
You might wonder about the connection between dockworkers and assistants like myself or call center agents in the Philippines. As I’ve discussed in previous articles, I strongly advocate for embracing AI and automation. We need to learn how to use the freely available tools to remain valuable in our roles. In the coming months, C-suite executives who currently employ multiple assistants will likely retain only one — the person who knows how to handle automation, email management, calendaring, travel arrangements, and other modern tools efficiently.
Similarly, call centers in the Philippines face disruption from increasingly sophisticated voice AI systems that customers often cannot distinguish from human agents. Rather than waiting for displacement, we need to prepare by learning about these technologies now. Major companies will still need skilled prompt engineers to refine AI interactions, and this role doesn’t necessarily require an engineering degree. AIs are not yet 100% accurate and still need human oversight and assistance.
This may not be a popular opinion among my fellow call center agents and executive assistants (both virtual and in-person), but we must prepare for the future. We need to adapt or risk becoming obsolete. The world doesn’t owe us anything, but we owe it to ourselves to embrace change and grow with technology rather than resist it.
