How is automation affecting your business?

Robots taking over your job. Artificial Intelligence (AI) surpassing human intelligence. The human experience reduced to days of leisure and fun. Wait, isn’t automation supposed to be scary?

The truth is, improvements in technology and automation do have an impact on the type of work that we do - it can render the need for people in certain jobs obsolete and result in a changing job market. But that is hardly a new phenomenon. And it’s far from replacing the need for anyone to work ever again.

Historically, what is known as the displacement effect occurs when increasing automation decreases the value added by human labor. This has been happening throughout the ages - from the Industrial Revolution back to horse-drawn plows and so on.?

But many people will argue that *this time* it's different. Robotics and AI have progressed in leaps and bounds and are poised (and have already begun) to displace workers in a wide variety of industries. But we also know by now that with all the jobs that technology admittedly eliminates, it creates just as many.

Yet there is a caveat - which is that, typically, in order for people to benefit from and be employable in new opportunities provided by increased automation, they must be able to work with the new technology. This then must be reflected in education - but that’s a separate article altogether.?

We’ve seen the rise in demand for expertise in programming, while digital transformation continues to push companies to digitize quickly, with exponential growth in the field of AI work itself. But automation means more than just overarching dominance in an industry, it also means changing the way that we work, how our labor contributes to a goal/project/bottom line, and how we work together.

In the previous edition of E-Signed, Sealed, Delivered, we talked about an example from one of our colleagues here at Taktikal involving a tool he introduced to increase automation and improve efficiency. While the reception of the tool wasn’t quite what was expected, the final result certainly hit the target.

When it comes to automation in the workplace, it impacts more than just the programming and tech departments. Finding tools that harness the latest in automation to offer intuitive and easily-implemented products can make a big difference for a business.?

Bill Gates is famously quoted as stating:

“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

This goes to show that it’s not just technology that needs to be addressed, it comes down to the operations - the workflows. Without looking at the bigger picture, simply adding on a tool won’t usually resolve an issue.

Which is where human interaction and labor still plays a vital role. Being able to determine where the automation can be implemented as well as selecting the right solution is crucial. Beyond that, teams working with technology need to be able to continuously communicate - whether it’s about continuous deployment, continuous campaigning, or continuous orders of coffee - AI is yet to be able to effectively replace the value that a team working with great software provides.

Automated workflows can and do make a big difference not only to development teams but across companies, as we saw with the tool our colleague introduced at his previous workplace, but also as we’ve seen with our customers using digital workflow solutions and verified electronic signatures.?

While we’ve been ruminating on the challenges faced by the seemingly unstoppable force that is the increase in technology and automation, it’s also important to point out that due to this, our perspective on tasks undertaken by human labor have been receiving renewed levels of appreciation.?

You only need to look towards the incredible success of marketplaces like Etsy, the explosion of small-batch craft breweries, the resurgence in the demand for hand-roasted coffee - to see that yes, technology might be replacing some jobs, but it’s reframing how we look at human labor as well.?

In the workplace, this can easily translate into how, for example, a company handles customer support or how a team uses the right tools to improve their collaboration and communication. So while automation might not yet mean that we all get to sit around and do nothing, it can mean a big improvement in our efficiency, in our coordination, and in our ability to provide the best possible service.