By ANNELIA NIXON

TRIBUNE BUSINESS REPORTER

anixon@tribunemedia.net

BAHAMIANS are becoming increasingly receptive to artificial intelligence and robotics, a shift that Simplified Group of Companies chief executive Robert Pantry believes could eventually help usher in a four-day work week as technology dramatically boosts productivity and reduces repetitive work.

Mr Pantry said public attitudes towards AI have changed significantly since the company introduced its AI-powered robot Evie last year, with Bahamians now more open to using AI agents and other emerging technologies in their daily lives and businesses.

“I think initially last year when we rolled out Evie, there was more concern about AI and robotics,” he said. “I think the Bahamian public has come so far in respect to AI and use of AI.”

He pointed to a recent conversation with an older Bahamian as evidence of how quickly attitudes towards AI are changing.

“Last week, I was talking with a real estate agent,” he said. “She had to be about 65, and she said, ‘Robert, ChatGPT is my husband,’ as much as she has used it and interacted with it.”

He argued that Bahamians are now more receptive to AI than they were two years ago, particularly as AI agents become increasingly integrated into everyday work and business operations. Simplified Tech intends to use its technology laboratory and robotics initiatives not only to develop and deploy the technology, but also to educate the public about its potential applications.

“Part of what we want to do in our lab and with our robot is to educate Bahamian people,” Mr Pantry said. “We know that some may not be as open, but when people see the general benefits of those, we think they would be more open.”

Mr Pantry believes the pace of development in AI agents and robotics will accelerate considerably over the next two years, eventually transforming how businesses organise work.

“We do believe with the advancement in AI agents, and then with the robotics, we believe that they’re going to be very advanced in the next two years,” he said.

That transformation, he suggested, could ultimately make the traditional five-day work week less necessary.

“We believe that at some point governments around the world will legislate a four-day work week because for a lot of businesses you’re going to triple your productivity with the robots and the agents while the human effort, the manual and the repetitive effort, is going to be reduced by 50 percent,” Mr Pantry said.

He stressed that he was not predicting an immediate shift to four-day work weeks, but rather a longer-term change as businesses become more capable of using technology to handle repetitive tasks.

The challenge, he said, is that individual businesses may be reluctant to reduce working hours if competitors continue operating five days a week.

“The only issue why I said governments around the world will probably often legislate it is because most businesses still compete,” Mr Pantry said. “So, one business may not want to reduce to a four-day work week when his staff and his robots and his agents are working five days a week.”

However, he believes the productivity gains could eventually persuade businesses that shorter working weeks make economic sense.

“Businesses will see the gains, and they will see the benefits of having a more well-rested employee base,” he said.

Rather than eliminating the need for people, Mr Pantry envisages AI and robotics shifting employees away from repetitive manual tasks and towards higher-value work.

“The human is going to be needed for their creativity,” he said. “They’re going to be needed for their innovation, as opposed to manually doing all these repetitive tasks.”

For the Bahamian business community, the shift could represent a significant change in how productivity, staffing and working hours are viewed, particularly as local companies increasingly experiment with AI tools.