The Machine Age: How Technology is Transforming Our Work and Lives

“Like automation machines replacing humans, they can guarantee quality, right? This aspect is definitely controlled. For example, if a human is welding, they might have certain emotions that could affect their work.”
“Every day at work, as long as you put the materials in place, the machine does the rest by itself, that’s how it is.”
These voices from the factory signal the coming of an era belonging to machines. Automation has not only rewritten the rhythm of the factory but is also reshaping the lifestyles of each and every one of us. Machines, which were merely assisting production, are gradually relegating humans to an auxiliary role. People are beginning to believe that machines are omnipotent, even superior to humans.
Amidst this seemingly unstoppable wave, Xu Yi, a sociology professor at Sun Yat-sen University, delved into the front lines of the intelligent manufacturing and autonomous driving industries. In her dual role as a researcher and a worker, she unveiled another side of the technological myth: machines are not neutral, but rather gain authority through social construction and gradually dominate the labor process. Only by breaking free from various “machine myths” can we awaken an imagination for a more just, democratic, and human-centered technological future.