Voices Of Youth

Automation is not death of human effort

In business, the future is perceived to be directly related to automation.

With the advancement of information technology, automation has become known as the "monster" of human employment, as it is seen as making the work done by humans irrelevant.

This entirely overlooks the perspective that human efforts will be valued more than ever before.

With the help of technological developments, goods and services will take a standardised form, making differentiation difficult.

This will lead to a situation where buyers have no loyalty to any specific seller. Further, no seller will have any exclusivity.

Hence , the opportunity to create that differentiating factor arises. This is where human knowledge and abilities serve their purpose. Branding and marketing the products will become more crucial.

Another important area for companies to gain consumer loyalty will be through their after-sales services.

Customer care and setting up effective and efficient customer redressal structures will improve a firm's market standing. To entirely satisfy customers, these services are best provided by humans.

The image of the firm, the publicity and the establishment of the brand will become areas where the human expertise will gain value. Marketing professionals shall also be in demand, as they will help firms distinguish themselves. That is how automation will help increase the value of human contributions.

Sanya Satpathy , 18

Singapore Institute Of Management Global Education student


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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on November 22, 2017, with the headline Automation is not death of human effort. Subscribe