Technology | Automation: is it taking the human out of HR?

“Unfortunately robots capable of manufacturing robots do not exist. That would be the philosopher's stone, the squaring of the circle.”

Ernst Jünger, The Glass Bees (1957)

‘The Glass Bees’ is a brilliant story about a man, Captain Richard, struggling with feelings of alienation and fears of dehumanisation in a technologically advanced society. Not the first of its kind, it presents fears around the role of humanity in a world where technology seems to advance faster than we can consciously comprehend. But it was certainly ahead of its time and remains a poignant narrative and a relevant question for today’s workplace.

In 2013, the famous Future of Employment Report (Frey and Osborne) was published, predicting that around 47% of US employment would be at risk from automation. While globally we have seen a decline in manufacturing and computerisation saw the replacement of traditional jobs such as cashiers and bookkeepers - but how certain are we that robots will take over our jobs?!