The Negative Effects of Job Automization In Zuboff’s, “In the Age of the Smart Machine”

The article ‘Rise of the Machines’ is Not a Likely Future (2015), Michael Littman addresses the issue and worries that people have with regards to technology. The article attempts to persuade readers to believe that there is no need to fear technology as it is just not possible that they can overtake humanity. Zeynep Tufekci touches on the issue of machines taking over jobs of human, titled “The Machines are Coming (2015)”. She attempts to argue that there is no need to reject or blame technology for taking over jobs at the workplace. Littman’s argument is stronger than Tufekci as he provided logical reasoning due to a well balanced structure with consideration of opposable viewpoints with substantial evidence and effective usage of Pathos to appeal to the reader. Tufecki’s argument is weak due to the lack of evidence and her claim was only brought in at the end of her article which makes it seem very lop-sided.

Even though the working world gradually changed and standards and regulations for labor law and protection were introduced at least in the developed world, close connection between man and machine remains to this day. But how strongly have the machines influenced the working world, and what mechanisms are used to control, monitor and optimize

article Carr explains how machines are making humans lazy and are weakening our awareness and attentiveness. He gives examples about situations where humans relied on computer operated machines. One of those examples were about a plane crash that killed all 50 people on board. “It reveals that automation, for all its benefits, can take a toll on the performance and talents of those who rely on it.” said Carr. The pilot of that plane had training but the more planes he let be in auto pilot the less control inputs he remembered causing him to react in an adverse way and unable to safely land the plane.

If everyone does their job according to the process, the organization, or tool, acts as a machine by delivering those predetermined results. Just like in the lion metaphor, the machine metaphor is biased. It ignores the fact that human beings make up the machine. As human components of this machine, we have feelings, opinions, imagination, and initiative that may or may not be part of our role within the machine.

During this time great changes were taking place in order to encourage growth of the factory industry, and a flourishing middle class. Machinery was intended to have the same effect it does today; they are used to aid workers and lessen the strain put on employees. In this aspect their introduction has been greatly beneficial. The aid that machines have given to workers come in many different forms. In many cases, repetitious acts are taken out the picture. Tedious work that once needed to be done by human employees is now a worry of the past. Actually, Blue from Vista Industrial Products Inc. (2016) claims that “when an automated machine is programmed to perform a task over and over again, the accuracy and repeatability compared to an employee is far greater” (p. 1).

“We weren’t interested in ‘automation’ but in ‘augmentation.’ We were not just building a tool, we were designing an entire system for working with knowledge. Automation means if you’re milking a cow, you get a tool that will milk it for you. But to augment the milking of a cow, you invent the telephone. The telephone not only changes how you milk, but the rest of the way you work as well. It touches the entire process. It was a paradigm shift.” Jordan, K. (2004). The Click heard round The world. Wired. Retrieved from http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.01/mouse_pr.html]

Increased automation is the result of a need to reduce cost, which in turn is driven by a company's need to become more competitive and grow market share -- a trend accelerated by pressures felt by the difficult economic situation.

"Ironies of Automation", by Bainbridge discusses the problem that technological automation systems may increase issues with the human operator, rather than decrease them. “The Great Forgetting” mentions Bainbridge and explains that individuals have trouble focusing on information for more than half an hour, so people that are forced to watch these automated machines do the work instead of them are losing their own skills of doing the job. Bainbridge’s article discusses an irony in the field of automation systems. An irony she mentions is that these systems are invented to do the operators job better than the operator would do it, yet the operator is required to watch the system to make sure everything goes alright. The article mentions the fact that even these high technological systems need human supervision and maintenance.

We live in the age of constant technological innovation and endless information; in which we are so connected and dependent on the technology we use that we sometimes don’t even realize how much we’re relying on it. In The Glass Cage by Nicholas Carr, Carr defines automation as, “the use of computers and software to do things we used to do ourselves,” and argues that there are daunting consequences to our reliance on technology (Carr 1). In his book, Nicholas Carr sets up three arguments related to automation, tacit knowledge, and the idea of work. His main arguments throughout the novel are that humans are overestimating the benefits of automation, losing tacit knowledge through our reliance on technology, and

In the factory, the energy and mind of people such as Memo are utilized in running various machines in the US machines. Such is possible through body-plug connections that link respective workers to processes that are otherwise carried out by robots in the US. On one hand, it shows that there is a limited distinction between the Mexican workers and the robots. Indeed, the term, sleep dealer, expresses the idea that workers easily experience fatigue in the factory. The panorama of the factory expresses the idea of the assembly line factory in which products become more valuable than the beings producing the same.

The key economic consequences of automation are: labor wages will drop, labor will be devalued, greater competition for fewer highly skilled jobs economic stratification into a small technological upper-class a large powerless lower-class, stagnate wages, low participation in

Introduction: Humanity has always struggled with the concepts of automation because of its lasting effects on people. While most would argue against automation in this classroom, I suggest instead that we accept it and allow it to become part of our lives. I have family members whose jobs have been replaced by automation, and I honestly think they are living a better life because of it. It will affect humans well in both the long and short term by allowing us to continue to push towards an optimistic future. I understand that this is a long way off, and I understand it will be a hard road but it is worth it.

Although formalization is one way of maintaining efficient standards, integration within the organization is also highly important. Although there are numerous departments within each bank, activities are coordinated in a way that includes every person. Similar to other corporations and not just banks, various different types of technology are implemented to maintain an efficient working environment. To begin, each bank employs a phone system that is integrated across all Ohnward systems. For example, consider an employee working at the DeWitt location. If they wish to reach an employee at another location, all they need to do is dial the extension number of the employee they wish to reach and it will transfer right to them. As a result,

This synthesised, scientifically managed workflow was meant to improve labour productivity and economic efficiency. And thirdly, rather than having machinery at the centre of the factory and workers moving to and from the product, assembly lines were used. This meant that the workers remained stationary and the product simply flowed past them (Murray, 1989). They were essentially treated as robots and dictated by machines; operating to the duplicated, repetitive tasks daily and not given the opportunity to express potential for advancement or improvement.

Automation is defined as a self-regulating process performed by using programmable machines to carry out series of tasks. Automation goes more steps further and now the process is not only supported by machines but these machines can work in accordance with certain programs that regulates the behavior of the machines. As some people may defined, automation is the application of machines to tasks once performed by human beings or, to tasks that would otherwise be impossible. Although the term mechanization is often used to refer to the simple replacement of human labor by machines, automation implies the integration of machines into a self-governing system.