In Zuboff's essay "In the Age of Smart machines," she starts telling the two side of the intelligent technology.  She explains that technology is advancing to the extent that humans will not be needed with some types of machines.  Zuboff says "Because machines are mute, and because they are so precise, they can be controlled according to a set of rational principles in a way human bodies cannot."(375)   What was I thinking?

   The first part of intelligent technology she talks about is automates.  Automates are machines that use software to automatically guide equipment to do task.  Some of the task she lists is painting cars and teller machines.  A human body starts the software and the machine does the task.  She questions the difference in information technology and machine technology.  Zuboff answer is that smart machines are not mute, because they can give feedback. She gives the example of a scanner at the grocery store.  The scanner not only does the checkout process, but also can keep inventory statistics. The intelligent machine will be able to do both automate and informate.  They can run the task at hand and give out information about the task after it is done.  She relates the new technology to the manufacturing environment and the office environment.  When technology is put in both environments the need for humans is less, and older machines are useless.  She says, "A computer program makes it possible to rationalize activities more comprehensively that if they had been undertaken by a human being."(376)
 What was I thinking?