로봇의 옷을 짓는 시대: 기술적 유토피아와 노동의 불투명한 미래 > K-wave Trends

Hansae Industry’s ‘Wear the Future’ project is a good example of how the fashion industry must proactively respond to advances in artificial intelligence and robotics. Rather than simply mimicking the shape of a robot, they designed a garment that perfectly meets the functional requirements of heat dissipation management, joint range of motion, and durability. This is a work that goes beyond the concept of clothes worn by people and redefines clothing as a kind of ‘exoskeleton interface’ that protects the robot’s hardware and allows it to interact with the environment. The process from virtual sampling to actual production by combining digital design capabilities and AI technology represents the advancement of the fashion industry, and even incorporates humanistic concerns to reduce the intimidation that can occur when humanoids are introduced into daily life and to create intimacy.

But apart from the flashy exterior of technology, the employment structure of our society is facing a huge inflection point. As Professor Seo Yong-seok of KAIST pointed out, the rapid development of AI and robots is predicting an inevitable wave of mass unemployment for the majority of young people, excluding certain expert groups. Productivity will be maximized, but if the population that continues to consume through labor income decreases, the market will eventually shrink and companies will also face a threat to their survival. Discussions about how to socially distribute the wealth created by technological innovation have now become a matter of survival rather than choice. This is precisely why the performance-based pay debate should be read as a struggle to alleviate social inequality and establish an institutional framework to share the fruits of technological development, beyond simply internal conflict within companies.

The instability of the job market is being witnessed in real time not only in high-tech industries but also in traditional retail. As in the case of Homeplus, store closures that occur during corporate rehabilitation procedures are forcing numerous workers onto the streets overnight. This goes beyond simple measures to improve the efficiency of corporate management, and causes chain social costs such as the collapse of the local economy and the livelihood crisis of workers at stores. In situations where employment security is unclear, workers lose the drive to plan for their future, which creates a vicious cycle that leads to a consumption cliff. Unlike the bright vision of the future brought about by technological advancement, the current workplace represents the painful reality of having to survive each day amidst the harsh winds of restructuring.

In addition, gender discrimination and human rights issues in the workplace are another reality we must face. According to cases of counseling at the Women's Workers' Association, the barriers faced by workers who quit their jobs due to sexual harassment or bullying in the workplace are excessively high in the process of applying for unemployment benefits. The current administrative procedures that require direct evidence are tantamount to harsh demands on victims to take risks, and this is a blind spot in the system and is seriously infringing on workers' right to labor safety. It is a painful paradox of our society that while technology has become sophisticated enough to worry about robots' clothing, the basic human rights and working environment of the human society that develops and operates the robots are still trapped in the outdated framework of past customs and discrimination.

In the end, what we need to focus on is the social safety net, which must change as quickly as the pace of technological development. There is an urgent need for political imagination to recognize that skilled manpower is a core asset of the industry and to establish a compensation system appropriate for it, as well as to mediate social conflicts that may arise due to the introduction of AI and robots. A society in which skilled technology is not transmitted is bound to lose its future competitiveness, and this truth applies equally to all fields of labor, not just core high-tech industries such as semiconductors. Companies must not stop innovating to pioneer new markets such as robot clothing, but they must also consider their social responsibility of not ignoring the suffering of workers who are marginalized in the process.