Automation Without the Fear: Why Labour Shortages Are Accelerating Robotics Adoption
Patrick Daly Interlinks PodcastShow Notes
In this episode of Interlinks, Patrick Daly is joined by Michel Spruijt, President of BrainCorp International, a San Diego–based technology company at the forefront of autonomous navigation, machine learning, and computer vision for everyday machines. Michel oversees BrainCorp’s international operations across EMEA, APAC, and LATAM, working closely with global partners as retailers, logistics providers, and manufacturers accelerate their adoption of AI-driven automation.
Together, Patrick and Michel explore how the narrative around AI and robotics has shifted—from fear of job displacement to a practical response to chronic labour shortages and rising operational complexity. The conversation spans autonomous mobile robots in retail and logistics, shelf-scanning and inventory intelligence, theft prevention, data interpretation versus data collection, and the growing importance of change management in successful automation rollouts. They also discuss why adoption is happening incrementally, which verticals are moving fastest, and how retailers are turning digital twins and actionable data into measurable ROI.
Macro-to-micro strategist takeaway: At a macro level, demographic pressure, labour scarcity, and AI maturity are making automation unavoidable. At the micro level, competitive advantage now comes from translating data into action—aligning technology, processes, and people to deliver real operational outcomes rather than deploying technology for its own sake.
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