Presentation
Up for Debate: Are Humans Still Necessary?
DescriptionThe purpose of this two-part session is to stimulate an exchange of ideas centered around HFES Fellow Peter Hancock’s (2023) "Ergonomics" publication entitled “Are Humans Still Necessary?” Given recent pervasive advancements in automation, autonomy, and artificial intelligence, Hancock (2023) questions whether humans are still the most important component of a system or even needed at all in some cases. Part 1 of the session consists of a debate, with the affirmative team arguing humans are still necessary and the opposing team arguing humans are not necessary. Part 2 will occur the following day to support roundtable discussions of key debate points. Benefits to session attendees include insights to clarify both sides of the argument. The session will also identify potential pathways to address identified challenges and support continued design of effective environments for both humans and machines. A follow-on paper to Hancock’s (2023) article is proposed as the main takeaway.
Event Type
Alternative Format
TimeTuesday, September 10th1:30pm - 2:30pm MST
LocationFLW Salon D
Sustainability