Calm, maybe it will take time to see a new Neo

ps: this (thankfully) is not a ref to the new Matrix movie

We know that change is a constant in our society. Combining this fact with our increasing need to solve problems, and the capitalism that commodifies most of the processes we are involved in, we always end up in a cycle of delivery. We need to deliver more. With more quality. In less time. And with less effort.

Directly, there is an impact on the automation of processes previously performed manually, and the software field is no exception. Obviously, with different peculiarities and specificities than in other areas, we see investments in tools that automate many functions—from building websites and apps to systems using only “drag and drop,” without needing any programming knowledge. This is without even entering the realm of artificial intelligence, where human influence may gradually decrease.

But does this matter beyond the IT field?

This discussion, at first, seems to involve only those in the technology field. But we are all in the information society, with advances and involvements at a speed never before seen in human history.

A joke that illustrates this well is comparing how the measure of a decade has become increasingly larger, just using our individual experiences. Compare what it was like to live in the 50s versus the 60s, the changes and technological advances that impacted people’s lives within those 10 years. And living in 2010 versus 2020? Was the impact the same?

Anachronisms aside, is time passing faster, or are changes coming faster? Could you today, with your routine, live without any software acting in any part of your life?

How will we live in this world?

Taking advantage of the decade comparison joke, it is frightening to imagine how many roles simply no longer exist. Switchboard operator, cinema usher, archivist, bowling pinsetter… The list is long.

And when we think about this, we think about the arrival of new technologies, and how the adaptation of us humans is put on the agenda.

Many processes have become robotic, including the examples mentioned earlier; therefore, from this perspective, we need to adapt and (often) improve skills that escape this robotization/automation, such as creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

However, even remembering what Isaac Asimov said in the 50s in the book I, Robot, we long for a future where robots (whether humanoid or not) and humans coexist.

Migrated post from Medium.