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One of the first industries to see automation happen was the textile industry with the invention of the punch card and eventually the power loom. A hundred fif
by sharun 10y ago
One of the first industries to see automation happen was the textile industry with the invention of the punch card and eventually the power loom.
A hundred fifty years later the (manual) handloom textile industry is still the second largest source of employment in Rural India after agriculture.
So why has automation of the loom not displaced all these weavers? There are many factors and one of the big ones is - automation isn't magic. It doesn't self-fix flaws. It doesn't upgrade itself. Master weavers can.
- coldtea 10y ago>So why has automation of the loom not displaced all these weavers? There are many factors and one of the big ones is - automation isn't magic. It doesn't self-fix flaws. It doesn't upgrade itself. Master weavers can. The looms weren't AI -- just automation.
- taneq 10y agoBecause they are literally dirt-poor and their labour time is worth less than the fuel required to transport machine-woven cloth to them. In any environment other than grinding poverty, automation is cheaper than human labour.