Today’s topic, in no small way, reminded me of Nora Roberts' futuristic romantic novels written under the pseudonym of J.D Robb. In the series of books, she shows just how advanced tech has gotten and how it has helped to make life easier. In the near future, just about everything will be manufactured in the lab. Things like farming and trees will become old school, and only be exclusive to the richest of the rich.
That is the world we’re all hurtling toward, and it’s at a pace that we can’t slow down. With the rate at which robots and AI are getting developed and improved, it’s only a matter of a few years before someone will have software as smart and reliable as Ironman’s JARVIS.
Yes, automation in today’s world is very much needed due to how much it makes our jobs easier. Instead of having to do the same thing over and over, automation permits us to do it all in one go with only the push of a few buttons. That’s what makes it so sweet. And thanks to the ever-evolving magic of technology, it’ll only get easier with time. The machines will get sleeker and smaller, they’ll also get more features. Life will become smoother as a whole.
So, what is the one part where automation is not needed? For me, I’ll go with the areas that absolutely need human input. Soldiers, the Police, doctors, teachers, pilots… these are all high-risk professions that if there is a single mistake, loads of lives could be lost. One might say that the beauty of machines is that they don’t make mistakes, but I think that’s just ignorance talking.
While they really don’t make mistakes, we have to understand that machines understand only two things, 1 and 0. If it’s not one, then it’s the other. The algorithm works in a way that if one thing is in one way, then it would have to act in a certain way. And if one thing is in another way, then it would act in so and so way. That’s basically how all these things work. There’s no compassion and thinking behind it, there’s no judgment at all.
And as we all know, as long as it’s a machine, then it can be hacked and tricked. Imagine if instead of policemen patrolling our streets, we have robots instead. It might seem cost-effective and a great option especially considering the fact that it would be saving the lives of countless soldiers. However, you have been chased by the cops, if you’re innocent you can’t plead your case to the robot. They know only one thing and that’s to bring you in. You can plead your case to a cop, and just by watching you, he can realize that you are indeed innocent. That’s one thing robots lack, intuition.
You’ve probably also heard about doctors who performed miracles. Many times patients seem dead, but the doctors keep battling to keep them alive, long after everyone has given up on them. And when all is said and done, they manage to bring these people to life. It can never be the same with a robot. While robots will be more precise and efficient. They’ll never take the extra step to make sure the patient survives. All they have to see is just a few things that their code demands and they’ll decide if the patient is worth treating or not. But still, I think the most scary part about all this is the fact that the wrong code can always be written in. As I said, these things can also be hacked.
I’m not against robots, but I believe that placing them in charge of such fields is a mistake. For maximum efficiency, they need to be paired up with a human. That’s why even though there are drones that don’t require pilots to be flown, they’re still paired with humans. It always comes down to the humans to make the final decision if not, the world will be pitted against each other when one automated machine goes haywire.
Automation is good, as long as there will be a human to man it and make sure that things don’t get out of hand. If that’s what we’re talking about, then it’s all perfect!
