Properties5
| Type | Article |
| Author | Barbara Ribeiro |
| Date | Mar 2, 2023 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/ai-could-make-more-work-for-us-instead-of-simplifying-our-lives-199554?ref=refind |
| Note created | Mar 2, 2023 |
But in a study of science laboratories I carried out with three colleagues at the University of Manchester, the introduction of automated processes that aim to simplify work — and free people’s time — can also make that work more complex, generating new tasks that many workers might perceive as mundane.
the number of hypotheses (the scientific term for a testable explanation for some observed phenomenon) and experiments that needed to be performed increased. With automated methods, the possibilities are amplified.
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- Note: This looks like a fallacy: if the scientist is testing a larger number of hypotheses because automation allows it, it is because the workload is still being relieved.
robots needed to be “trained” in performing experiments previously carried out manually. Humans, too, needed to develop new skills for preparing, repairing, and supervising robots. This was done to ensure there were no errors in the scientific process.
The synbio scientists carrying out these responsibilities were not better paid or more autonomous than their managers. They also assessed their own workload as being higher than those above them in the job hierarchy.
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- Note: Feels like the conversation is more about the system than the automation then.
we should challenge the ways we measure productivity by considering the invisible types of tasks humans can accomplish, beyond the more visible work that is usually rewarded.