Is it true that automation takes away our jobs? Is it a real menace? A lot of people think so.
In reality, automation of processes does not lead to an increase of unemployment rate. It rather creates new opportunities and encourages us to get out of our comfort zone and to acquire new skills. And here is the proof.
More time for creative work
Today in the US you won’t see any gas station attendants, while even 15 years ago you could still find them at filling stations around the country. Machines are quite good in routine tasks, which we find boring and discouraging.
So if we leave routine to machines and let people dedicate their time to more interesting and creative stuff such as communication, designing or programming we will have better products, more satisfied customers, and employees.
New professions
Advancement of automation will create new spheres of economy and new professions, which will emerge from intersections of different fields of expertise and different industries.
In future, we may see such professions as telesurgeons, rewilders, end of life therapists or gamification designers. Furthermore, an increase in demand for musicians, painters, writers and other creative professionals as well as communication professionals is also expected.
Automation encourages us to learn
Automation of processes will require workers to acquire new skills in order to find their place in the more advanced economy. Even those who won’t be willing to acquire new skills will have to do so in order to find a job and pay their bills. No matter whether such learning will be voluntary or imposed. The thing is that it will significantly enhance the quality of workforce by making employees more competent and tech-savvy.
Automation empowers
Today automation helps us to solve complicated tasks related to data collection and processing. Computers can measure human emotions. They may register those changes, which are not visible to the human sight. Without this technology, we wouldn’t have been so successful in analyzing customers’ behavior and adjusting products to their needs.
Automation in marketing allows to find better solutions for each group of customers by addressing their particular needs and concerns more efficiently.
The key to having more time for yourself
Automation always transformed our lives and created new opportunities. In the 19th century, around 40% of the population in developed countries was engaged in the production of food. Today this rate is around 2%. Do we currently have the global unemployment rate of 38%? The answer is obvious.
Do we complain much about the fact that an automatic washing machine introduced in the late 40s early 50s transformed an hours-long task into something which may be performed with a push of the button? No. That’s why we advocate for consideration of automation as a process which creates opportunities rather than takes them away.
Play on automation side and not against it - this is the key to having more time for yourself.
Share with us your ideas of what you would like to automate in your work. What kind of routine takes you precious time, which could be dedicated to an accomplishment of more creative tasks?
Written by Juliet Bakhmut, Sr. Content Manager at CoolTool