Well, I suppose everything can be automated.funkervogt wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 6:35 pmWhy wouldn't route planning be automated?caltrek wrote: ↑Sat Mar 19, 2022 5:48 pmOne possibility is that drivers would be freed up to multi-task. Inventory control could at least partially take place on the road. Such work on mobile computers could then be easily downloaded at the hubs. Drivers might also be able to spend more time planning their routes. Their hands and attention could be freed to do this sort of work. Also, one function of drivers is to periodically inspect their vehicles for damage and maintenance problems. So, problems encountered on the road, such as collisions with road debris, could receive immediate attention and evaluation."Partial automation" is infeasible. ....
To your last point, it would still be inefficient since the human driver wouldn't be doing anything 99.9% of the time. It would be better for autonomous vehicles to pull over whenever they had problems and to summon the nearest human repair crew.
I think one reason for my post is that I have noticed something about automation, at least as it was manifest in the last half of the twentieth century and the first part of this century. That is the way that it often transforms work rather than simply displaces workers. Put another way, automation can often free up humans to perform higher functions.
Sure, in my example about inspections, you point to one alternative. Taken in isolation, your example makes a lot of sense. However, I was noticing that, not in isolation, but as part of the overall package. Humans still have a (diminishing) advantage of flexibility and intelligence. They can be muti-tasked. Responsibilities assigned to them can be shifted. As always (at least under a capitalist system) economics will be a huge determining factor. Ideal combinations will be arrived at through time and experimentation. Moreover, things will evolve. For example, just about the time that the caltrekian prediction will seem to have won out, breakthroughs may occur in which the Funkervogt prediction proves to be the most accurate. One strength in W.J. Fox's approach is to allow for a logical succession of such things.