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More than a century ago, the great composer John Philip Sousa worried about the future of his profession. He feared that a new invention, the record player, would render obsolete<\/a> \u201cthe ennobling discipline of learning music,\u201d putting professional musicians out of work. Sousa\u2019s works have stood the test of time, but\u00a0judging<\/a>\u00a0by the hundreds of music schools and tens of thousands of full and part-time musicians in America, his\u00a0prediction\u00a0<\/a>has not.<\/span><\/p>\n Fear of technological progress is as old as technology itself, especially when it comes to its effect on employment. That is exactly what we are now seeing with automation, which is being described as a\u00a0threat<\/a>\u00a0to the well-being of Americans. We also hear warnings of millions of workers in the retail, call-center, fast-food and trucking industries getting kicked to the curb. More ominously, we are told of possible mass riots, leading to violent deaths and widespread destruction of property.\u00a0 To ward off this impending social upheaval,\u00a0some<\/a>\u00a0have proposed that the government guarantee everyone over 18 an income, whether they lose their job or not.<\/span><\/p>\n It cannot be denied that innovation, including automation, disrupts existing industries and in turn the lives of individuals, families and communities. There is a long list of professions that no longer exist in America thanks to innovation, including elevator operators, telephone operators, blacksmiths, video store owners and bowling pin setters.<\/span><\/p>\n History, however, shows that we have more reason for optimism than for fear.<\/span><\/p>\n First, new technologies often lower costs while improving our overall quality of life. For example, robotic process automation (RPA) software is helping reduce administrative burdens by mimicking human actions and performing repetitive tasks, such as recording data.<\/span><\/p>\n This automation is most needed in the U.S. health care industry, where the inordinate amount of time spent on administrative tasks<\/a>\u00a0is causing physician burnout and higher premiums. Doctors spend more time (often hours per day)\u00a0entering notes<\/a>\u00a0into electronic health records than providing patients with the care they need.<\/span><\/p>\n RPA software is helping to lessen doctors\u2019 workloads, leading the\u00a0International Robotics & Automation Journal<\/em>\u00a0to\u00a0declare<\/a>\u00a0it \u201cto be the technology of future \u2026 that reduces costs and delivery time, improves quality, speed and operational efficiency\u201d of health care services.<\/span><\/p>\n Automation and the overall progression in computing speed are eliminating costs across multiple industries. They remove burdens off low- and middle-income families through lower costs for health care, car repairs and food. With the money thus saved, consumers can afford more goods, increasing the demand for new, often high-tech, products. With more buying power and access to the latest and greatest, Americans\u2019 quality of life goes up, as does the broader economy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Second, new technologies often create jobs. The greater demand for new products increases demand for workers with the skills to develop, refine and use those goods. It\u2019s true that the rise of new products and industries make older ones obsolete, but the same advancements that eliminated typists and human calculators also gave millions the chance to be developers, programmers, database administrators and broadband engineers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As\u00a0stated<\/a>\u00a0by economist Alex Tabarrok, if technology didn\u2019t create any jobs, \u201cwe would all be out of work because productivity has been increasing for two centuries.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And despite the alarmists, disruption doesn\u2019t necessarily translate into social turmoil. Studies show that there is usually a significant lag time between the development and adoption of a given technology\u2014sometimes up to\u00a0four decades<\/a>\u2014giving workers time to adjust, gain new proficiencies and find jobs in new industries. Meanwhile, families and communities with higher standards of living thanks to technology are able to\u00a0help<\/a>\u00a0those transitioning in a much more personal and dignifying way than a government-based approach. The vast majority of Americans seem to prefer these constructive actions to destroying property.<\/span><\/p>\n For all of his brilliance, Sousa, too, fell into the trap of looking at a new innovation with the glass half-empty, envisioning a worst-case scenario and failing to account for its net benefits. While automation and innovation can be difficult emotionally and affect peoples\u2019 livelihoods, top-down policies, such as universal basic incomes or technology bans, stifle the freedom that innovation and human creativity need to flourish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Before we succumb to mass hysteria or institute government-led \u201csolutions,\u201d let\u2019s remember the myriad ways that innovation has removed barriers and empowered all Americans.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n