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I have always been super supportive of automation and I think it is a net-positive. But today I had a weird experience. You know those automated ordering thing

I have always been super supportive of automation and I think it is a net-positive. But today I had a weird experience. You know those automated ordering things at fast food places, I used one for the first time today. It was exciting and fun at first (don't judge me), but then I looked up and realized no one was at the register and no one was speaking. The workers were simply packing bags and pressing buttons. It was a cold transaction between two humans, the human workers could've been robots and accomplished the same thing. It makes me a little worried and sad that automation will cause our lives to be completely sterile and cold. No human interaction, just pressing buttons and staring blankly at each other.

sandworm101 8y ago
You skirt around the probably motivation behind those machines. It isn't about speeding the order process, it is about removing language from the equation. At some basic level, the person taking the order must have language in common with the person placing the order. Throw a machine into the mix and you no longer need that commonalty. The person behind the counter no longer needs to speak the same language as the customer. Every time they remove such requirements they make labor that little bit easier to replace. I'll admit to occasionally hitting the drive through on my way to work. It is odd to say, but that brief interaction through the window is the one time I'll talk to a stranger all day. (I work behind guarded doors and security barriers.) I don't want that person replaced by a machine.
sannee 8y ago
As someone with mild social anxiety, I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords. I hate having to talk with a stranger just in order not to starve to death.