Debates on digitization and robotization of (human) work of the future: replacing automation, technological pragmatism, augmentation and heteromation

Abstract

A review is made about the 'state of the art' of the debates on an alleged massive technological unemployment in the future as a consequence of the diffusion of digitization and robotization processes with the new technologies of the Industry 4.0. Four alternative but complementary approaches about the present new wave of automation are presented and discussed: replacing automation, technological pragmatism, augmentation, and heteromation. From a constructivist perspective on technology, some dominant arguments about the massive disappearance of future employment are critically questioned, pointing out its improbability, showing the stratification of losers and winners from digitization and robotization, highlighting the difficulties to train those first ones for their digital inclusion. Finally, it is defended the importance of making visible the hidden human work supporting automated processes of digitized production and also the possibility of reinforcing the qualifications and competencies of the human factor, its reskilling, through an ergonomic automation.