An old joke about technology that illustrates rather well the state of
affairs when it comes to automation: After boarding a commercial flight, and
just before take-off, the passengers hear an announcement in the plane’s sound
system: “Welcome aboard, we are delighted to have you with us on this flight. We
are proud to tell you that this is an entirely unmanned plane. There is neither
a pilot nor a co-pilot on this aircraft. It is 100 percent computerized and
perfectly safe. All precautions have been taken to ensure your safety and your
comfort. All electronics on-board, including the computers and the controls
exist in triplicate, for redundancy and ultimate security. Relax, enjoy the
flight, and rest assured that nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong, go
wrong...”
اضافة اعلان
For those who
have seen Charlie Chaplin’s classic movie Modern Times, the hilarious scene
where Chaplin, a factory worker, is fed by an automatic machine would be
another illustration of automation gone wrong. And to think that the film goes
back to 1936! Chaplin certainly was a visionary.
Transposed
today, the phenomenon is amplified and very real. From vehicles recalled by
their manufacturers to fix flaws introduced by imperfections in the assembly
line to software bugs that come to disturb your online banking experience, the
risk of seeing automated system fail, partially or wholly, is increasing.
Just a few
months ago, GoDaddy, one of the biggest providers of online services, email and
website hosting in the world, decided to change the email interface that its
subscribers use, from local (i.e., installed on your computer), to web-based,
more precisely to work under Outlook 365, one of the modules of Microsoft’s
Office 365 suite.
The transition
from the old system to the new one – a not so simple task for the layman – was
supposed to take place automatically, without requiring the direct intervention
of the user. The subscribers who were not technically minded were relieved for
not having to perform what they perceived as a complex, unfriendly operation,
but the change did not go smoothly for all. Many had to call the provider’s
technical support hotline, and to speak to a human being to have the issue
solved.
Many would argue that the rate of failures caused by less than perfect machines or software is still significantly lower than that of failures that are the result of human errors. This is probably true, but not completely reassuring.
A business
merger is taking place this month in Amman, between two well-known banks. Understandably,
they are trying to automate the move as much as possible and are sending SMSs
to their patrons with instructions regarding what to do to avoid a disruption
of the services. However, one message instructs the patrons to urgently
activate the newly issued credit cards, only to be followed by another SMS
telling them not to, and all over back again, in a loop, sometimes all in the
same day.
Last May in
Dubai, a car made by one of the major and reputable German manufacturers, was
involved in a dramatic accident on the emirate’s main Sheikh Zayed fast road.
All of a sudden, a message was displayed on the dashboard screen saying “System
error”. The engine was shut off abruptly and the car was left immobilized in
the central lane, amidst the dense and fast traffic. The driver somehow managed
to exit the car and get to safety, but one of the incoming vehicles could not
avoid severely crashing into the stranded car.
Similar examples
abound.
Many would argue
that the rate of failures caused by less than perfect machines or software is
still significantly lower than that of failures that are the result of human
errors. This is probably true, but not completely reassuring.
The trend
indicates that things are bound to worsen, not to improve. This is reason for
serious worry. Making an automated process, software or equipment that would be
close to being 100 percent safe and reliable involves several elements. The
most important of them all is time.
Indeed,
regardless of the skills and the experience of the makers, it is only through
heavy, extensive, and time-consuming testing that it is possible to iron out
the flaws, and to debug software so as to achieve the best result and to have
automation approach the hypothetical perfect reliability. Unfortunately, no one
today has the time to work this way. Speed to design, produce and sell
outweighs reliability.
Jean-Claude Elias is a computer engineer and a
classically trained pianist and guitarist. He has been regularly writing IT
articles, reviewing music albums, and covering concerts for more than 30 years.
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