Introduction
One could ask whether we, human beings, are in a race against the machine, but where can we find a satisfying answer? Humans have made several discoveries and inventions, and improvements are made consistently every year. Computerization has taken control of almost all significant activities that humans performed before. Look around; computers are everywhere, and our lives now depend on them. Humans have come to trust computers more than what they could have produced through their own efforts.
However, inasmuch as computers are superior to humans in some respects, it is humans who create them and program them to function in a particular manner. They use instructions and commands to produce results, and therefore a slight mistake in instruction results in a total mess. They use the principle of garbage in and garbage out. When it comes to problem-solving, the human brain is much superior compared to a computer, as the mind can always find an alternative way of solving a problem. Any change in the programs that perform a particular task results in resetting the computer system and feeding it the required instructions to solve the problem.
The human brain is capable of accommodating a wide variety of information compared to computer memory. The unique feature that makes humans superior is emotion. Emotions enable the human brain to meditate, opening the mind to a vast realm of potential. For instance, anger makes one start thinking of new ways to get revenge. Curiosity leads to efforts to satisfy it, leading to discoveries and the generation of new ideas.
Computerization, on the other hand, has many different features that are superior to those of the human brain. Regarding speed and data retrieval of relevant information, machines are obviously the sure deal. They can never let you down here. Several innovations have been made in devices ranging from the ground to space or the universe (Brynjolfsson, Erik & McAfee, pg. 53). Robots have been invented and are capable of performing diverse functions.
Comparative Analysis
The concept of humans versus machines tends to be most precisely sensed during economic recessions and delicate recoveries. Even as people sit in silence, they are hurt by the fact that some jobs have gone for good, being taken by machines. For example, controlling warfare weapons is done using computers. This shows the extent to which technology is restructuring and slowly consuming our economy. Improvement in the performance of devices continues to threaten even the jobs that were thought could not be automated.
“It’s time to reinvent the formula for how work is conducted since we are still relying on a very 20th-century notion of work” (Hagel & John, pg. 22). Here, the latter emphasizes people taking the initiative to use their creativity in response to unanticipated events. He goes ahead and states that “the race against the machine” should be reframed as a “race with the machine.” We need to look at how machines can help improve human effort rather than replace it. It can, therefore, be seen that technology is not the problem but how institutions are designed and the activities for which it is intended.
Benefits and Advantages
It is true that technological advancement does not benefit everyone in the community. For instance, there are uneven incomes as well as limited employment opportunities. The latest technological progress has favored only a few groups of skilled individuals and probably increased the share of gross domestic product accruing to capital and labor. The stagnation in income is not because of a lack of technological advances but because our institutions and skills have not kept pace with rapid technological changes.
Computers can be described as universal machines, as they have applications in almost every industry and duty. Digital technology now performs mental tasks that were once exclusive to human beings. Furthermore, various sectors are trying to make discoveries so that they can remain relevant in the mix, but that is not the solution to the race against the machine (Denning, pg. 29). Instead, people should come out from their hiding places and face the reality that racing should be with devices.
While computers remain superior in data processing, consistency, and speed, they lack awareness and originality and cannot perform when instructed to work outside predefined programs. They work complementarily with humans in that humans perform well where computers are weak. Therefore, the focus should be on increasing human capital by ensuring that people have the skills needed to participate in current technological developments. Also, improving the rate and quality of organizational innovation could help in racing with machines. These are the most fundamental areas that must be addressed to curb the issue of the race against the machine.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the race against machines proves to be a sensitive issue that needs quick intervention. Its consequences manifest in both the individuals who invent them and those who do not participate. But it is also evident that, inasmuch as machines prove to be superior in some respects, their creators, humans, are still much ahead due to their ability to think and experience emotions that trigger the thinking process. It is thoroughly discussed that the only way to address the race against the machine is to employ the “race with the machine” mechanism.
Here, the focus is on two key areas: organizational innovation, which focuses on processes, structures, models, expertise, skills, and investments in complementary human capital. This is key as it entails mental development. It includes investment in education and critical skills required in the current technological setup. These are potential ways to mitigate the race against machines and initiate a race with machines.
Work Cited
Brynjolfsson, Erik, and Andrew McAfee. Race against the Machine: How the Digital Revolution
Is Accelerating Innovation, Driving Productivity, and Irreversibly Transforming Employment and the Economy. Lexington, Mass: Digital Frontier Press, 2012. Print.
Denning, Peter J. “The Profession of IT: Learning for the New Digital Age.” Association for
Computing Machinery. Communications of the ACM 57.9 (2014): 29. ProQuest. Web. 20 Mar. 2018.
Hagel, John, and John S. Brown. The Only Sustainable Edge: Why Business Strategy Depends on
Productive Friction and Dynamic Specialization. Boston, Mass.: Harward Business School, 2005. Print.
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