The Irony of Automation

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What is the “Irony of Automation”?

“There will always be a set of circumstances that was not expected, that the automation either was not designed to handle or other things that just cannot be predicted. As system reliability increases, the more difficult it is to detect the error and recover from it.” — Dr. Raja Parasuraman, professor of psychology at George Mason University

Key Points:

• The Irony of Automation is that the more reliable the system, the less human operators have to do, so the less Attention they pay to the system while it’s operating.
• Reliable systems tend to make it hard for operators to notice when something’s wrong. If an error is not noticed, it can eventually become the “new normal.”
• The best way to avoid Automation errors is rigorous Sampling and Testing.
• Focus on keeping your operators engaged, and they will be better suited to notice when something’s wrong.

Questions for Consideration:

• How can you keep the operators of your automated system engaged enough to notice when things go wrong?
• What means of testing do you have at your disposal to quickly identify errors in automation?

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