According to a study by Kaspersky, those working in the Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region believe that the better robots can perform tasks in different fields, the less jobs will be left for humans. 91% of employees in Turkey believe that robots should be used more widely in different industries, but many of the employees also state that they are afraid of robots being hacked.

Kaspersky conducted a study to find out how employees of manufacturing companies and other large organizations around the world view the results of automation and the increasing use of robots. The survey conducted on the opinions of the employees about the safety of robots and automatic systems used in their companies; Employees from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, Egypt and South Africa participated.

As part of the study, Kaspersky employees reported an increase in the use of robotic systems in their companies over the past two years. 46% of employees in Turkey said that their organizations already use robots, and 42% plan to use robots in the near future.

At the same time, many workers are optimistic that robots will take their jobs. He thinks that adopting robots in the workplace will make people’s jobs safer and smarter, as well as increasing production efficiency. 63% of respondents in Turkey believe that enough new jobs will be created to prevent them losing their jobs due to robots. More jobs are expected to emerge for programmers, data scientists, and engineers, which will drive the adoption of robots in the coming years.

Another important finding observed in the research is the increase in cyber security risks due to robotization. 93% of respondents from Turkey believe that robots can be hacked. In their assessments of how protected robots are, respondents are divided into two: 39% of employees in Turkey believe that there are not enough cybersecurity measures to protect robots in different industries.

Emad Haffar, Head of Technical Experts at Kaspersky, said the following on robotic systems: ‘’ More and more tasks are taken over by robots, and they are potentially vulnerable to cyber threats. I see Kaspersky’s mission as ensuring that cybersecurity is at the forefront of robotics adoption, helping to meet challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that robotization presents. In our research, we asked participants to evaluate how safe and efficient the robots are in production, as well as how convenient and efficient they are to be used in production. It turns out that many employees believe that using robots poses a risk. Robots will be the main vector for cyber-attacks in the coming years and they need protection now. Before integrating robots into production, it is necessary to ensure that intrusions are prevented and overall network security. It is also important to ensure that robotic controllers, automation systems and supply chains are protected. Special solutions such as Kaspersky Industrial CyberSecurity can be an effective aid to protect robots in production.’’