Finding the Equilibrium: Avoid Over-reliance on Automation
Journel Joseph
Co-Founder & CEO at Intellegi | Developing clinical AI agents to humanize healthcare
Be Aware. Humans Are Underrated. (Case Study)
The fear about the future of companies and their staff is centered around the unknown role that artificial intelligence will play in society. We have settled on the reality that smart automation will improve our lives and augment the productivity of the workforce. What has always remained uncertain is the right proportion and balance of humans + machines to build an efficient workforce. We started to detect a slow trend that revealed that overusing robots in a company’s production line could lead to inverse impact such as stagnation and reduced performance. This real-world experience began to become apparent in the following example from Tesla. Tesla is considered to be the pioneer of electric vehicles (EVs) and the leading manufacturer of smart automobiles that have one of the world’s most advanced robotics and automated production factory. As the New Times reported, the company’s prediction to “Produce 20,000 Model 3s a month by December 2017,” did not pan out as planned. It was reported that they only manufactured 2,425 of the Model 3s during the final three months of that year. Evidently, the high-speed, high-tech and sophisticated AI-powered assembly line did not work as planned. As robots faulted out or crashed, they slowed down the production process and created bottlenecks, admitted Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla. In order to rectify the problem, they had to bring the humans to do what they do best – thus, embracing the symbiotic humans-machines relationship. Despite the exciting advancement of AI in the manufacturing process, the fully automated system is a risky bet.
Elon Musk also admitted during an interview on CBS in April 2018, with Gayle King, that his company’s excessive reliance on automation to build the mass-market Model 3 vehicles may have impeded its production. He responded to the critics who argued that too many sophisticated robots could have been part of the cause of the production nightmare that the company faced when attempting to meet its demand. Elon Musk agreed. In response to Tim Higgins, a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) technology and auto reporter’s tweet on April 13, 2018, on the issue, he responded, “Yes, excessive automation at Tesla was a mistake. To be precise, my mistake. Humans are underrated.” Various companies will also eventually discover this hard truth and it might come at a steep price due to over automation. Regrettably, it could also lead to an irreparable disarray in the ecosystems of these companies.
(Case Study from my book: Data & Analytics 4.0)
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Journel Joseph, Data Scientist | Author | Speaker | Technology Advisor
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For Speaking Engagements: [email protected]
Journel most recent speaking engagement was as part of a distinguished keynote panel at the 2019 National Science Foundation's Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) STEM Summit. His well-received talk covered the subject of “Diversity and Ethical Implications of Advances in Artificial Intelligence: Unintended Consequences on Steroids.”
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