The impact automation can have in our daily lives continues to grow. Automation and technology can help with efficiency, reducing human error, and streamlining processes. However, there are downsides to automation. These five key points highlight the negatives of automation and how to remain more personable as this continues to grow and evolve.
Limited Human Interaction: Although automation can reduce human error, it takes away from that personable experience. Individuals look for that face-to-face connection that you will not get with automated systems. In addition, robotics will not be able to add that human touch of empathy or judgment.
Dependency: If we are only relying on automation, this can affect the hard and soft skills that we have. You may lose experience in certain tasks or skills and become reliant on using automation to complete your work, which will make it difficult when you are not using automation.
Unemployment: Utilizing robotics and other forms of automation will result in the loss of jobs. Many of these automated machines reduce human error which can be seen at all levels, but specifically in repetitive roles. As these continue to be implemented, this will cause the unemployment rate to increase which can lead to other concerns in the economy.
Reskilling and Training: Employees will need to shift their skills to keep up with automation. McKinsey & Company predicts that the demand for technological skills will increase by 50% over the next decade. However, automation cannot duplicate human skills, so we will continue to need those. We must keep this in mind as it will shift company structures and team dynamics.
Little Creativity: Automated and AI systems can take away from our creativity. Robotics and other automated tools are standardized and do not have the ability to think of new or out-of-the-box ideas. It is important that we continue to educate and use our creative thinking skills to stand out from automation.
As automated systems continue to grow and shape how we work, we must remember to use our human interaction to our advantage. Connecting with others, showing empathy, and using creativity will help us to make an impact in ways that automated systems can’t.