
Photo credit: Rockwell Automation
We used to celebrate automation and praise how it simplified processes. It was unprecedented when Johannes Gutenberg automated the printing press. Since then, many of life’s essential functions have become automated: dishwashers, heating and cooling systems, garage door openers, and self-parking cars – just to name a few. The desktop/laptop computer created more than 19 million jobs in industries ranging from computer hardware to enterprise software to online retail sales.Doc Brown even used automation to feed his dog, Einstein, at the beginning of Back to the Future. And perhaps the most glaring example of automation we might take for granted: autopilot. Autopilot has transformed air travel for the better and simplified most, if not all, pilot processes. History has shown these diverse examples of automation have greatly improved our lives and allowed us to focus on more important tasks.