The Case of the Disappearing Secretary
5 hours ago
- #workplace
- #automation
- #AI
- The article explores the historical wave of automation that significantly reduced the number of secretarial jobs, drawing parallels to the current AI-driven automation wave.
- Secretaries were once a cornerstone of the economy, handling tasks like typing, filing, and organizing, which required human intervention at every step.
- The advent of personal computers gradually automated many administrative tasks, leading to the decline of traditional secretarial roles.
- Despite automation, secretarial and administrative jobs still exist, though in reduced numbers and often under different titles like HR or business operations.
- Automation didn't eliminate administrative work but redistributed it, turning everyone into their own secretary, a phenomenon referred to as 'shadow work.'
- The transition to AI may similarly turn everyone into an 'accidental manager,' overseeing AI systems rather than performing tasks directly.
- Historical automation happened in stages over decades, suggesting that AI-driven changes will also be gradual and messy.
- Automation both freed workers from menial tasks and intensified work by raising expectations and introducing new forms of monitoring.
- Standards of work quality increased with automation, but some practices, like detailed minute-taking, declined.
- Wage impacts of automation varied depending on whether high-skilled or low-skilled tasks were automated, a pattern likely to repeat with AI.
- The social and cultural aspects of work, such as the role of 'office wives' and 'office moms,' were profoundly affected by automation, with lasting impacts on workplace dynamics.
- AI's adoption may face similar challenges, including resistance, inefficiencies, and the persistence of human relationships and hierarchies that defy rational reorganization.