Technological Automation: Past and Present
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The advancement of mankind is often thought to be linked to developments in science and technology. For thousands of years, we have invented technologies that are meant to make life more efficient. By automating cumbersome tasks, humans can focus their efforts elsewhere and increase their productivity. However, the automated technologies of today - such as robots, robo-advisors (non-human financial advisors based on software algorithms), and customer service bots – are capable of performing operations thought to be out of a science-fiction movie. The number of tasks that a human can carry out that a robot can’t is becoming fewer and fewer each year, putting much of our society at risk of unemployment. This paper examines technological automation through a historical lens, analyzing Classical Antiquity and the British Industrial Revolution in order to have a better understanding of how societies of the past have dealt with waves of automation. How have these episodes been viewed by their respective society? What debates dominated these episodes? And how is the current wave of automation similar to, and different from, these past waves? In addition to the historical analysis, I conducted original research in the form of a survey in order to gather and generalize current public opinion on automation. I find that there is overwhelming support for our current trajectory. John Maynard Keynes warned of technology outpacing human skill, coining the term “technological unemployment.” For him, it was a temporary state in which humans must catch up in order to adapt and learn how to work with these advanced devices. Regardless of whether the current episode is temporary or not, society must have an open conversation about this pressing issue and take steps to mitigate serious negative consequences.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | May 2017 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Wiser, Charlie |
|---|
Subjects
| Subject | Technological automation |
|---|---|
| Subject | automation |
| Subject | classical antiquity |
| Subject | industrial revolution |
| Subject | robots |
| Subject | machines |
| Subject | artificial intelligence |
| Subject | STS |
| Subject | technology |
| Subject | survey |
| Subject | water wheel |
| Subject | aqueduct |
| Subject | steam engine |
| Subject | machine learning |
| Subject | autonomous vehicles |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
| Related Publication | Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2017). The future of employment: how susceptible are jobs to computerisation?. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254-280. |
|---|---|
| Related Publication | Acemoglu, D., & Restrepo, P. (2017). Robots and jobs: Evidence from US labor markets. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/jm318tk2786 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (CC BY).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Wiser, Charlie. (2017). Technological Automation: Past and Present. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Stanford University, Stanford CA.
Collection
Stanford University, Program in Science, Technology and Society, Honors Theses
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- Contact
- cwiser@stanford.edu
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