Do you need AI to make the decision − Recruit Person vs Deploy Software Robot?

With the increase in Minimum Wage from 1st April 2024, is it a difficult decision on whether to recruit a person or deploy a software robot?

The costs, the capacity for work, the reliability and the flexibility all need to be considered.
Feature Person
Hours per day 8
Hours per week (Capacity) 40
Minimum Wage − Annual cost 11.42 x 40 x 52 = £23,753.60
Ether Solutions Bronze Service
Holiday days 20
Number of Different Tasks Many
Days off sick ?

Software Robot
Hours per day 24
Hours per week (Capacity) 168
Minimum Wage − Annual cost
Ether Solutions Bronze Service £2,000 x 12 = £24,000
Holiday days 0.5 x 2 (Software Patching)
Number of Different Tasks One
Days off sick 0

Similar costs but a major difference in Capacity and Flexibility.

Filling 168 hours per week of capacity for a software robot with 1 automated task can be a challenge.

Automating more tasks would cost more but utilise more of the capacity.

Of course, other details such as Pension, Employer’s National Insurance, etc. could be minor factors but the overall balance for similar costs does the business need flexibility or capacity to get work done?

The software robot could run on the same PC that would be allocated to a person.

In case you are wondering, yes a software robot can use AI.