ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

John Griep at VSR in the Netherlands considers the implications of AI for the cleaning sector.

AI has become the talk of the town nowadays. In the cleaning industry too, many applications are currently being developed to automate certain activities. Do cleaners have to fear for their jobs and livelihoods? At VSR, we don’t think so.

AI works well as a supplement in the cleaning sector but completely replacing people is an illusion and also not desirable. The essential quality of people is irreplaceable for the time being, and at VSR we thought it was high time for a little extra appreciation for cleaners. That is why the theme of our spring event was ‘The People’.

AI as a tool

AI in the cleaning industry is currently mainly a tool that can be used to improve certain processes. Think, for example, of optimising cleaning schedules, dirt and mess detection, machine learning, but also operating cleaning robots. Although cleaning robots are playing an increasingly important role, cleaners are far from finished. For example, a robot will not be able to perform all cleaning tasks at the moment. In addition, humans have unique qualities that an AI-powered cleaning robot simply lacks.

Essential quality of people

While AI can take over a lot of tasks, humans are clearly irreplaceable in certain areas. As human beings, we have the ability to combine individual experiences with empathy and intellect. And that is exactly what AI is not (yet) sufficiently capable of.

For example, it is impossible for AI to make certain ad-hoc decisions based on gut feeling. Think of cleaners who clean workplaces during office hours. They constantly ask themselves questions such as: “This employee has just started a video meeting, wouldn’t it be better to shift my schedule and clean somewhere else first?” Or: “This patient is visibly struggling, how can I provide a nice surprise and some distraction?”

And those are exactly the empathic qualities that we as humans use on a daily basis. Situations are not assessed on the basis of pre-programmed algorithms, but on a combination of feeling, experiences and intelligence. Or ‘natural intelligence’, as described by Barry Schwartz in his book Practical Wisdom - The Right Way to Do the Right Thing.

VSR Spring Event

It is clear that the human factor is indispensable in the cleaning industry. At VSR, we continue to embrace our natural intelligence. In this context, our VSR Spring Event carried the theme: ‘Putting people first, training, developing and investing in employees’. In May we met with our partners, companies from the cleaning industry and other stakeholders. It was a great day on which various speakers once again emphasised the importance of human input in the cleaning sector. We should continue to value our human employees and work closely with all parties to utilise the full potential of our cleaners.