The consequences of automation are counter-intuitive.
In 1983, Lisanne Bainbridge published a paper on the paradoxes of industrial automation. The core paradox is that humans-in-the-loop must be very skilled to monitor automated processes, otherwise their supervisory role is ineffective.
Yet to be an expert you need hands-on experience, and that’s exactly what we hope to replace through automation.
In an age of AI, deskilled human chaperones risk being equally ineffective (and dangerous). The long-term success of AI integration therefore depends on massive specialized training of humans. Whoever sees AI as a mere cost-cutting measure is sawing off the branch they’re sitting on.
For an in-depth analysis, read Uwe Friedrichsen excellent two-series on the ironies of AI at:
