Autonomous Transformation

CHAPTER 1Reformation, Transformation, and Creation: Defining Autonomous Transformation

• au·​ton·​o·​mous \ ȯ‐ˈtä‐n·​mous \ adjective
• 1: having the right or power of self‐government
• 2: existing or capable of existing independently¹
• trans·​for·​ma·​tion \ ˌtran(t)s‐fər‐ˈmā‐shən \ noun
• 1: an act, process, or instance of transforming or being transformed (verb): to change in composition or structure²

Autonomous Transformation, on the surface, could sound to many like the final process by which all work will be automated.

Although it does involve systems that can operate autonomously, which for many invokes concern about the elimination of jobs, Autonomous Transformation is instead the transformation of jobs across all verticals and levels, increasing the autonomy of human workers—that is to say, the right or power of self‐government, existing or capable of existing independently.

Human autonomy and machine autonomy are two halves of the same coin, incapable of existing without one another in the context of the twenty‐first century. The process of breaking tasks down into individual work elements that can be either automated or assigned to humans was, conceivably, the only path to meeting the demand for production placed on systems and organizations in the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century. And as long as there are repetitive tasks that cannot be learned by or taught to machines, humans will need to operate those tasks.

With autonomous technologies, ...