From the assembly line to apps that handle entire departments of paperwork and calculations with a simple script, automation can be found everywhere. And it’s only going to get more advanced. While there is a lot of potential, in some economic models, there are worries about job outlook and human productivity. Automation won’t eliminate gas stations and restaurant labor overnight. As can be seen in today’s manufacturing sector, fewer employees are needed to monitor partial automation. Here are a few details to help you see where automation is going along with the benefits and dangers of humanity’s latest chapter of progress.
Give Inquisitive Minds Their Due Attention
Wasted potential is an unfortunate part of the human experience, and it always has been. Children who have creative, insightful, voluminous and generally powerful minds can waste away in hometowns instead of working on the most important parts of history. Adults who bloom into greater potential later in life are often missed because of a focus on children. There is work to be done, and while children rightfully deserve a chance at a powerful upbringing, is it fair to ignore them once they hit a certain age? Automation will bring relief to many of those access troubles. At first glance, the most obvious benefit is more free time for those who want to pursue industrious or creative interests. The romantic concept of people who would work on their own drawings, create music or write books if not for their day jobs is just a surface-level example, yet great gains come from them. Engineering, construction, science, technology and other breakthroughs will come from people having enough time. It will be difficult to reach 100% of all minds when they need it. That doesn’t mean the world can’t do better. With automation, better is closer.
Better Margins for Small Business Owners
The inquisitive, industrious minds aren’t just nameless children or random people striking it rich overnight. Small business owners, startup leaders and entrepreneurs of all types will be at the top of automation’s change. Automation allows smaller teams to compete at higher levels. As new technologies emerge, there is a bit of an ebb and flow between big and small business as far as progress. Many of the biggest advances come from large corporate funding from contractors, subdivisions and independent firms that may or may not be acquired in the future. Once discoveries like automation are available for the public, small business takes over. Gas stations have started to use automated price books, so they can avoid selling gasoline at a loss, which was common before electronic communication made delivery of barrel price data instantaneous. It’s not just about big versus small business. Large companies with no stake in overnight revolutions may not be able to move assets quick enough because of obligations or because they’re too stuck on their current goals. Small companies can suddenly develop or produce new concepts faster than many businesses on the market. It’s not about you versus the tech company with the newest toys. That company and small companies like yours will exceed others who can’t act now.
Freeing Up Labor for Greater Projects
Many countries use labor as a way to keep their population occupied and producing for the good of the nation. In a not completely incorrect theory, a country that doesn’t have a reason to work can fall into stagnation and eventually failure. Today, automation can free up labor to simply work on something else. Some workers can be retrained, and others can become innovators or creators in their own right. Some can even retire. Depending on what country you come from, you may be wondering where these individuals would get the money to live such an innovative, relaxing life. Think about the companies with the highest revenues versus the richest countries in the world. Revenue isn’t the whole story, but the funding is there. Society is not, and rather than arguing about what won’t work with knee-jerk responses, it’s time for society to discuss what would be possible if certain jobs weren’t necessary. Or, if you’re afraid of Terminator’s Skynet future, it’s smarter to start studying now to fight later than being unprepared. Whether you’re embracing automation or trying to avoid a robot uprising, the time to ask questions is today. To answer those questions with more depth than movie plots, an automation and machine learning expert can provide more information about the best resources for the future.
