Automation: An analysis
World before and after automation
Automation is the effective use of technology to perform human tasks and it has been revolutionizing the way of human work and lives for centuries. From the invention like steam engines and water wheels to the introduction of artificial intelligence and robotics automation has enabled us to accomplish much more than we anticipated. Let’s explore the world before and after automation and the effects and changes that had taken place in our lives.
The World Before Automation
Before the rise of automation, all works was largely manual, and with very limited technology. People relied on their hands and minimal tools to perform all tasks and processes. This had limited the amount of work and consumed more time than now for each and every processes and there were limitation in the varieties of works that were available at the time.
If we look at agriculture as an example, farmers had to rely on the strength of animals and their own physical strength largely to plough the fields and the harvesting of the crops. Which means there were very limited numbers of labour as compared to the area or size of the farm. And due to this farming was a tough and physically demanding job for the workers and thus it can became very dangerous.
In manufacturing sectors the products were hand made which meant that the production process were very costly and time consuming. Each product had to be individually processed by a skilled worker, which meant that the cost of goods was high. This caused the availability of goods only to the elite class in the society
The World After Automation
At the point when the automation started to get introduced in various fields the world changed dramatically. Suddenly, works that were once done by physicall strength could be possible by machines, and the expansion of works had creased exponentially. This had a significant changes on almost every part of our lives.
In agriculture sector, the introduction of tractors and other machinery for farming had made the entire process much more easy and efficient . And the size of farmlands will not be a problem, and the cost of food will decrease. It also made less availability of workers in the field and si they can do other jobs too.
In manufacturing sector automation had proved that products could be produced more quickly and economically.Machines could do tasks and works more efficiently than by human strength and obviously the cost of goods decreased dramatically. And thus more people other than the wealthy ones could afford to buy goods, and that created availability of more jobs in the manufacturing sector.
The Impact of Automation on Jobs
Some impacts of automation has been on different jobs. As machines had started to take over more tasks and processes some jobs have disappeared, like forever. Some jobs in the manufacturing sector had been replaced by the machine which had resulted in unemployment for the workers in certain works.
Not forgetting automation has also created new jobs. For example, the people who have a career in designing and building sector, had seen innovative changes in their field due to the automation. The rise of automation has also opened the door for the works, such as programming and data analysis.
The Impact of Automation on Society
There are both positive and negative impacts due to the rise of automation in our society. On the positive side, the life had became more easier than before. The transportation, communication and the accessibility to everything became more easier than we ever imagined due to the advancements in automation.
Meanwhile automation also had created its own adverse effects.For example, since machines had taken over manpower in works, it had find quite difficult for some people as they may not have the proper skill set or education necessary to work in the newly created jobs.This has led to inequality in earnings and economic imbalance among the people in the world
Environmental impacts
While automation had made tasks easier, it had made us to face its after effects such as environmental pollution and the increased consumption of energy resources. As the manpower required tasks has been taken over by the machines, energy consumption and the waste disposal have increased largely throughout the world.
The Future of Automation
As the advancements in technology moving forward faster automation will have a crucial role in our live than we think of now. The important part is that some of the experts already commented about the possibility of the future where all the human works were replaced by the machines which will have a strong impact on the people in the whole world.
The automation in the area of transportation is likely to have a big impact. The testing of self driving cars and goods trucks is going on behind the curtains and they could bring a drastic change in our transportation system. These vehicles may make the transportation more efficient and they likely to reduce accidents and emissions.
Healthcare is another important area where the automation keeps on evolving. The artificial intelligence and the robotic engineering is working to assign them to perform Important procedures like surgery which is a ver big move in the history of medical care as they are more efficient and precise., and obviously it could reduce the people’s workload.
As with any changes that could happen in the society due to technological advancements there are certain concerns too. One of them is displacement of machines in works. As some workers may not find jobs where they have the expertise and this can lead to an instability in the society.
Conclusion
Automation already have a vital role in our lives. they had given certain benefits but also some concerns which we have to deal with. As the future could be bright there is a necessity to control or channel the automation’s adverse effects on the world. And thus, we will be able to make a more sustainable living place for all of us.