The Algorithm - Human Tasks vs. Machine Tasks

In this week’s issue of The Algorithm, I'll continue to discuss the topic of human-machine collaboration that I introduced last week. 

As automation and machine learning are doing more than ever before (and doing it with more sophistication and accuracy), it’s important not to think of humans and machines as competitors but collaborators, each with their own strengths.

Humans are inherently better at tasks that are strategic, creative, and collaborative. They are happier doing these kinds of tasks, rather than the mindless, rote tasks at which machines excel. As you’ll see below, the kinds of tasks that humans are good at are quite distinct from the tasks that machines do best.

Humans are best at:

• Sensory tasks - that involve multiple senses.

• Social tasks - that depend on language and communication.

• Knowledge tasks - that require general or domain-specific knowledge.

• Creative tasks - that require imagination, flexibility, and adaptability.

• Exploratory tasks - where we don't know what we're looking for, but we'll know when we find it.

Machines excel at:

• Precise tasks - where accuracy and precision are critical.

• Information-intensive tasks - that require processing large amounts of information.

• Memory/recall tasks - that require storing and recalling information accurately.

• Repetitive tasks - that need to be performed consistently many times. 

So yes, tasks will always be automated away. But the types of tasks that will be automated away first are the ones that machines are better at performing. This is a good thing. Not only is it a sign that we are advancing technologically, but it also helps free up humans to perform the types of tasks that they are uniquely good at and enjoy.

The real challenge, in my opinion, is to design systems where machines and humans do what they are respectively best at, identify the points of interaction, and work to make those as intuitive as possible.

In next week’s newsletter, I’ll discuss how to go about designing processes in a manner that incorporates human-machine collaboration.

Until next week,

Tony Ojeda
Founder
District Data Labs