Automation should make us work better, not just harder

We’ve heard time and time again that robots are coming for our jobs. Back in 2013, a University of Oxford study predicted that almost half of American jobs were at risk, and ever since report after report has either claimed a) the automation revolution is coming, run for the hills! Or b) calm down, Luddites, technology makes more jobs than it destroys.

Automation is already creeping into working lives, but physical robotics and AI-powered bots will do more than help with filing. They’ll change the very nature of work, for good and bad. Nurses won’t have to lift so many heavy objects. Logistics workers need not pick every item from high shelves. And I won’t have to transcribe notes any more — already automated services such as Descript and Otter will listen to my interview recordings and make notes, even if they keep putting my name down as “polka”. No, I don’t know why either.

Of course, automated transcription is terrible news for those people making their living that way, but for me it would remove a chore and free up time. What would I do with that time? If removing transcription from my to-do list means I can spend longer on stories, talk to more experts, and consider my words more carefully, it’s of value. If it means I can take more naps, spend more time with family and friends, or take up a hobby, it’s also of benefit. But if all automation does is push me to work faster and harder, what’s the point?

This isn’t a new phenomenon. The internet made research much easier for journalists, reducing the need to make phone calls, knock on doors and meet trusted sources in pubs (darn). But it also contributed to the destruction of the industry, with churned-out stories full of nonsense, fake news, and poorly paid workers. The advent of computers surely did the same.

Let’s do better this time. Automation could give us a four-day work week, or easier, better jobs and better output. Rather than panicking that robots are going to take our jobs, let’s use automation to create work we want to do, and do it better.