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stephc_int13yesterday at 8:42 PM3 repliesview on HN

I believe that any kind of partial automation is going to make the job more soul-crushing.

Ford style assembly lines made the work of the factory workers more miserable. Partially automated cashier did the same thing.

I don't think there is any point in trying to resist automation, as the efficiency benefits are too important.


Replies

layer8yesterday at 8:50 PM

Efficiency gains are more important than people not having to spend their working life with soul-crushing tasks? I don’t quite follow.

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wat10000yesterday at 9:32 PM

We’ve had partial automation in programming since the first assembler was written. I don’t think we’re more miserable than we would be if we still had to write machine code by hand.

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themafiayesterday at 8:52 PM

> Ford style assembly lines

The ones with 10 hour shifts and mandatory overtime? Yea, I don't think it's the _line_ that's making them miserable.

> Partially automated cashier did the same thing.

I've not once heard anyone in the service industry make this complaint.

> as the efficiency benefits are too important.

You can squeeze every last drop of productivity from your employees. In the short term this may even evidence profits. In the long term it only works if you hold a monopoly position.

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