On the limits of automation

As a software developer, Christin has been automating things her whole career. With AI, we can automate more than ever before. Designers dream of automating away the developers. Developers dream of automating away the designers. Managers dream of automating away both. Where does it all end? Is all automation good?

A century ago, philosophers dreamed of all the free time we would have once machines took over manual labour. A hundred years later, do we have more time? No. Why not?

What is the purpose of all this automation, and who benefits from it? Who do we want it to benefit? And how do we work towards a future where automation is truly good for us?