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I’m not saying we should protect these jobs by law or anything, but I question whether work that can be automated can't be fulfilling. I keep seeing these “Caf

I’m not saying we should protect these jobs by law or anything, but I question whether work that can be automated can't be fulfilling. I keep seeing these “Cafe X” robotic coffee bars in San Francisco. Surely some baristas find their job fulfilling, and some customers enjoy chatting with their human barista instead of a robot? Personally I think I’d have a hard time feeling good about working on something that directly replaces human labor without much benefit other than profit.

krillkkl 7y ago
> I’m not saying we should protect these jobs by law or anything, but I question whether work that can be automated can't be fulfilling. Thanks for writing this, I don't think it gets said often enough (or at all).
gmueckl 7y ago
You picked an example where the Job includes social interaction, which is a fundamental human need. Let's consider an assembly line worker who fastens the same set of screws over and over again. Do you still come to the same conclusion? Is a dull, repetitive job psychologically harmful over long times? There are jobs that greatly endanger people's physical health. Mining and construction come to my mind. If automation can make these jobs safer, go for it. For everything else, we will probably end up with a balance between heavy automation and niches where artisans hand craft similar products because they love doing so. It should ideally be a free choice instead if people getting preasured into low skill/low wage/high risk jobs because they need to eat.