Automation is a timely topic of discussion that is controversial yet significant in terms of effective business practices. Nevertheless, a new wave of technological anxiety floods the public and academic debate, fearing that technology will displace jobs on a large scale shortly. According to researchers, multiple employees view automation as a threat because of certain misconceptions (Ivanov, Kuyumdzhiev, and Webster, 2020). The fears include the dehumanization of the workforce, lack of jobs, and dissatisfaction with the new implementations. However, automation is an effective way of creating a prosperous environment in the workplace. For example, robotic process automation can become a reliable help for managers (Challa, 2019). In this case, if automation is not substituting human employees, but in contrast, enhancing them, they would not fear it and may find it as a tool to achieve higher productivity and greater personal economic well-being. Moreover, new software and other technological tools can be beneficial for all employers who would like to have reliable staff and effective business strategies within the workforce. Researchers point out that new software systems can recuse employees’ unauthorized absence at work (Strategies to reduce employee absenteeism and enhance retention, n.d.). While employees are worried that the increasing use of technology within the workforce will lead to damage, it is crucial to create a safe environment. One way to minimize losses is for managers to make sure valuable workers are not leaving their companies (Abdi, 2021). Moreover, employees have to be frequently invited to participate in organizational discussions and decision-making meetings (Roy, 2021). Such measures will ensure the mitigation of possible issues related to automation. It is essential to mention telework when talking about automation. According to Campbell and McDonald (2009), telework gives employees an ability to have a certain amount of flexibility regarding work location and hours. An article written in 2021 suggests that working from home is a great way to have a more balanced work-life relationship (Advantages and disadvantages of teleworking or telecommuting). However, it is vital to consider ethics since ethics give practical guidance to the lives of workers that are soon going to change their way of life (Mintz, 2017). One aspect that has to be considered is the digital divide. The digital divide is used to describe the inherent inequalities in terms of the use of digital technologies (Unwin and de Bastion, 2009). It is not a new problem, yet it is more significant in the 21st century. Hanna (2021) points out that the previous century’s digital divide referred to individuals with or without access to a telephone. Now that there are a lot more technological advances, the gap is even bigger. Saheb (2021) describes the problem by creating a virtual situation where a classroom from one hundred years ago would not be able to keep up with nowadays students. The outbreak of Covid-19 was the biggest cause of switching to remote work (Learning package 3 – Covid-19 – the Singapore situation, 2020). Many people were not ready to make such changes because of the digital divide. This suggests that certain implementations have to be made to create an equal environment for people to be able to survive in the new technological world. While automation and telework are both beneficial changes in the global arena, the digital divide has to be mitigated for individuals with the less technological capacity to be active members of the workforce.
There have been multiple new trends within the technology industry in the last decade. Such a drastic improvement is attributed to the fourth industrial revolution (Demianchuk et al., 2021). The technological domain is constantly changing and improving, which is the leading cause for the appearance of new trends on the market. Corporations are growing, technology is becoming more advanced, and the market is full of new inventions and technological nuances that are designed to fulfill customer demand for new upgrades. The recent pandemic is also a factor that opened a new opportunity in this domain. According to researchers, the quarantined led to a global change in remote working and learning (Adedoyin and Soykan, 2020). The new trend was forceful yet beneficial since institutions and companies can rely on remote communication with employees and students. Such improvements and new software systems lead to more affordable business practices that are more favorable for employers and employees worldwide (Taylor, 2021). Another trend that has been revolutionary within the technological industry is virtual reality. VR provides the user with a digital experience that may be similar to a simulation of the real world or fully fantasy-based (Poetker, 2019). VR may be viewed as entertainment, but there are other benefits attributed to having a virtual reality experience. Some research shows that it can be used for educational purposes (Radianti et al., 2020). This highlights the importance of new trends as tools that can be used in different domains such as education, entertainment, business practices, etc. Moreover, as the industry is going through dramatic progress, new trends will appear and hopefully benefit companies, workers, students, and the general society as a whole. Another major trend that has been revolutionary in multiple fields is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence (AI) is described as the ability to analyze and learn from data (Haenlein and Kaplan, 2019). The knowledge and conclusions are then used to perform various algorithms and fulfill goals and tasks. The last two decades have been particularly beneficial in terms of AI development (Acemoglu and Restrepo, 2018). Developed and developing countries are starting to pay more attention to this subject (Lu et al., 2017). Such interest is driven by the broad area of different fields to that AI can positively contribute. One of those areas is medicine. Artificial intelligence is considered to be the next big step towards more improved and risk-free medical practices. Researchers point out that data-driven systems may lead to advancements in the field of medical research (Collins and Moons, 2019). However, research is not the only field in that AI can be used. More practical procedures can benefit from artificial intelligence, just as in the field of studies and statistics. Researchers highlight the importance of new technologies such as AI in healthcare delivery (Vaishya et al., 2020). While more research needs to be done regarding this subject, it is obvious that AI is a technological trend that will have a drastic impact on future implementation. All the trends mentioned above are developed to contribute to a society that is driven by progress. Every new technology, from virtual reality to artificial intelligence, is the key factor that correlates with innovation and development on many different levels, such as medicine, education, social sciences, business, etc.
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