As the infrastructure sector advances into artificial intelligence and automation, questions are being raised about workforce security.
Across construction sites, rail yards, and maintenance depots, the integration of robotics is not a far-off vision but a present-day reality.
This technological leap prompts a critical question: how can Australia build an automated future that includes, rather than excludes, its workforce?
A sector at a crossroads
Workplace robotics expert Dijam Panigrahi believes the sector stands at a defining moment.
He works on spatial intelligence platforms that use artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality to support high-precision maintenance and inspection in complex environments. With clients across defence, aerospace, and heavy manufacturing, Panigrahi has a clear vantage point on the rapid deployment of automation.
“Particularly after the COVID period, people had at least appreciated the value of using these digitisation tools or autonomy tools to make sure their businesses are not hampered,” he says.
“It provided the required urgency that was kind of missing for the most part.”
Laying the foundations for automation
Embracing robotics is not as simple as plugging in machines.
Four pillars, Panigrahi argues, must be in place before automation can take hold: a robust digital baseline, a workforce that knows how to use it, targeted upskilling, and access to capital.
“Companies are at different stages depending on what kind of investment they have made on those four pillars,” he says.
“Some are already kind of ahead of the curve… others are still in a hand-holding phase.”
Humans still at the heart of the system
For Australia, where ageing infrastructure intersects with skilled labour shortages, the opportunity is ripe. Yet the path forward is not to just deploy robots to fill workforce gaps – it’s about rethinking how jobs are designed and what human workers are enabled to do.
Take inspection tasks, for example. In bridge maintenance, humans still undertake the laborious and often risky job of visually identifying cracks and structural defects. New technology offers an alternative: wearable AR (Augmented Reality) headsets that detect faults automatically and log them in a digital twin of the asset.
“The AI can’t go and physically fix it,” Panigrahi says.
“So that same worker is still essential, but their energy should be focused on fixing it.”
This reframing matters. It not only preserves jobs but can enhance them, reducing physical strain and increasing job satisfaction. As automation takes over the repetitive and hazardous tasks, human workers can shift focus to high-value interventions.
“It’s more like an enabler to them,” he says.
“You’re enabling the workforce to do things better, faster, and in a more assured way.”
Rethinking the labour gap
The narrative that robots steal jobs is persistent, but as Panigrahi notes, automation in developed economies typically coincides with low unemployment.
In fact, sectors like defence manufacturing are grappling with the opposite problem: too many open roles and not enough skilled workers.
“In aerospace and defence manufacturing, [a high proportion] of people employed are 55 and above,” he says.
“Right now there are over two million jobs not being filled because there’s no labour skill level.”
Australia is seeing similar trends. Large transport projects like Inland Rail, Sydney Metro and Melbourne Suburban Rail Loop require not just civil engineers and project managers, but also a tech-savvy maintenance workforce. Robotics and AI could ease the burden, but only if workers are trained to collaborate with machines.
Training for transition
This is where Panigrahi sees the need for strategic investment in reskilling. In Australia, government programs like the National Skills Agreement offer a starting point. However, real impact will require tighter coordination between tech developers, educators and employers.
“It has to be some sort of a consortium,” he says.
“It cannot be individually addressed by the government or by the universities.”
Automation that enhances humanity
One misconception he is quick to debunk is that automation is inherently dehumanising. Quite the opposite, Panigrahi argues: when done well, it makes work more human.
“The stress that you go through every day, the overload of information – by using these tools, it makes it so much easier for you,” he says.
“You’re focusing on high-value work.”
From an Australian infrastructure lens, this matters. Whether for condition monitoring on rail networks, or asset inspections across the urban water grid, automation can elevate technical roles rather than eliminate them.
Transitioning the workforce will not be seamless. Barriers include fear of change, lack of access to training, and resistance from both workers and management. The solution, says Panigrahi, lies partly in design.
“If the tools are intuitive, they don’t fear it. We talk about ‘workforce enablement’ rather than automation,” he says.
“It calms people. It tells them: this is here to help you, not replace you.”
Critically, the financial burden of reskilling should not fall solely on individuals or employers. Policymakers must step in.
“This is where the role of the government comes in,” Panigrahi says.
“Policies should be in place that allow enough time for people to upskill.”
Looking ahead: equity and identity
Looking ahead, Panigrahi sees a more equitable future if automation is handled thoughtfully.
“We might find that the field levels out a bit,” he says.
“The physical worker with technical skills might command similar respect and salary as someone in a desk-based software job.”
What he fears, however, is a homogenised workforce where AI systems dull human creativity and judgement.
“Writing something down is actually you processing it to think. With AI doing the thinking, we risk losing that,” he says.
“We need to preserve originality.”
In a sector built on tangible outcomes – bridges, ports, energy grids – it’s an apt warning. Automation can drive productivity and safety, but only if it supports human expertise rather than subsuming it.
