- Published on
机器让工作更轻松还是更无聊？(Machines and the meaning of work)
- Authors
如果机器在出现故障时可以为某些工作增添意义，那么当机器正常运行时，又会怎样呢？
双语精读
Machines and meaning of work
机器与工作的意义
July 19th was a day for help-desk heroes and support superstars. A routine software update by CrowdStrike, a cyber-security company, caused computer outages in offices, hospitals and airports worldwide.
7月19日是属于帮助台英雄和技术支持超级明星的日子。网络安全公司“群体攻击”的一次例行软件更新导致全球办公室、医院和机场的计算机出现故障。
Most white-collar workers looked disconsolately at their screens and realised just how useless they are if they cannot log in. People in IT came to the rescue of helpless colleagues and stranded passengers.
大多数白领工作者沮丧地看着屏幕，并意识到如果无法登录，他们是多么无用。IT部门的人员前来营救无助的同事和滞留的乘客。
Their work that day was full of stress-but also full of meaning. If machines can add purpose to some jobs when they fail, what about when they work properly?
他们那天的工作充满了压力，但也充满了意义。如果机器在出现故障时可以为某些工作增添意义，那么当机器正常运行时，又会怎样呢？
This is not an idle question. Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) in particular easily get lost in hypothetical debates about wholesale job losses or, worse, the nature of consciousness.
这不是一个无聊的问题。关于人工智能的讨论尤其容易迷失在关于大规模失业，或者更糟糕的，关于意识之本质的假设性辩论中。
But technologies tend to spread in less dramatic ways, task by task rather than role by role. Before machines replace individuals, they change the nature of the work they do. That is likely to affect job satisfaction.
但技术的传播往往不是那么突然，是一项任务一项任务地传播，不是一个角色一个角色地传播。在机器取代个人之前，机器会改变它们所做工作的性质。这可能会影响工作满意度。
A paper from 2011 by Michael Barrett of the University of Cambridge and his co-authors found that the introduction of drug-dispensing robots into hospital pharmacies had disparate effects.
2011年，剑桥大学的迈克尔·巴雷特及其合著者发表的一篇论文发现，将配药机器人引入医院药房会产生完全不同的效果。
Pharmacists felt the quality of their jobs had improved because they had more time for patient counselling. Like the IT administrators rolling back the CrowdStrike update, technicians enjoyed the enhanced status that came with knowing how to fix the robots.
药剂师认为他们的工作质量有所提高，因为他们有更多的时间为患者提供咨询。就像IT管理员恢复“群体攻击”的更新一样，技术人员享受着知道如何修复机器人所带来的地位提高。
Pharmacy assistants had a more miserable time of it, however, as their role shrank to loading medicine into the machines. A technology that cuts down on boring tasks is fine; one that threatens your sense of identity is not.
然而，药房助理的日子不太好过，因为他们的职责缩减为将药品装入机器。能减少无聊任务的技术是好的；但威胁到你身份认同感的技术则不好。
It is still too early to know how AI will affect the quality of work. The thing for managers to remember is that machines can make employees feel differently about their work.
要知道人工智能将如何影响工作质量，现在还为时过早。管理者要记住的是，机器会让员工对工作产生不同的感受。
So it matters whether new technologies are introduced in collaboration with employees or imposed from above, and whether they enhance or sap their sense of competence. Bosses who ignore these issues are missing something meaningful.
因此，新技术是与员工合作引入还是由上而下强加的，以及新技术是增强还是削弱了员工的胜任感，这些都很重要。老板们如果忽视这些问题，就会错过有意义的东西。
词汇预习
helpless [高考]
美[ˈhelpləs] | 英[ˈhelpləs]
adj. 无助的；无依靠的
dramatic [高考]
美[drəˈmætɪk] | 英[drəˈmætɪk]
adj. 戏剧性的；引人注目的；给人深刻印象的；激动人心的
miserable [高考]
美[ˈmɪzrəbl] | 英[ˈmɪzrəbl]
adj. 痛苦的；悲惨的；贫乏的；狼狈的
enhance [高考]
美[ɪnˈhæns] | 英[ɪnˈhɑːns]
vt. 提高；增加；加强
ignore [高考]
美[ɪɡˈnɔːr] | 英[ɪɡˈnɔː(r)]
vt. 忽视；不理；不顾
routine [高考]
美[ruːˈtiːn] | 英[ruːˈtiːn]
n. 例行公事；常规；无聊 adj. 常规的；例行的；乏味的
status [高考]
美[ˈsteɪtəs , ˈstætəs] | 英[ˈsteɪtəs]
n. 地位；情形；状况，状态；身份
security [高考]
美[sɪˈkjʊrəti] | 英[sɪˈkjʊərəti]
n. 安全；保证；证券；债券；抵押；防护措施
identity [高考]
美[aɪˈdentəti] | 英[aɪˈdentəti]
n. 一致；身份；特征
update [高考]
美[ˌʌpˈdeɪt , ˈʌpdeɪt] | 英[ˌʌpˈdeɪt , ˈʌpdeɪt]
v. 更新；升级 n. 更新
intelligence [高考]
美[ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns] | 英[ɪnˈtelɪdʒəns]
n. 智力；智慧；才智；（尤指关于敌国的）情报
artificial [高考]
美[ˌɑːrtɪˈfɪʃl] | 英[ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl]
adj. 人造的；虚伪的；武断的
software [高考]
美[ˈsɔːftwer] | 英[ˈsɒftweə(r)]
n. 软件
competence [高考]
美[ˈkɑːmpɪtəns] | 英[ˈkɒmpɪtəns]
n. 能力；胜任；管辖权
collar [高考]
美[ˈkɑːlər] | 英[ˈkɒlə(r)]
n. 衣领；项圈；[机]轴环 vt. 抓住；为 ... 戴上项圈；为 ... 上领子
in particular [高考]
美[ɪn pər'tɪkjələr] | 英[ɪn pə'tɪkjələ(r)]
特别； 尤其
log [高考]
美[lɔːɡ] | 英[lɒɡ]
n. 原木；圆木；(航海、飞行)日志；(船)计程仪 v. 伐木；记入(日志)
consciousness [四级]
美[ˈkɑːnʃəsnəs] | 英[ˈkɒnʃəsnəs]
n. 意识；知觉；自觉；觉悟
idle [四级]
美[ˈaɪdl] | 英[ˈaɪdl]
adj. 无事可做的，闲散的；无聊的; 懒惰的；闲置的；无根据的 vt. 虚度; 使空闲 vi. 不作事；闲逛; (机器)空转
collaboration [四级]
美[kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃn] | 英[kəˌlæbəˈreɪʃn]
n. 合作；通敌
full of [四级]
美[fʊl ʌv] | 英[ful ɔv]
充满 ...
log in [四级]
美[lɔɡ ɪn] | 英[lɔɡ in]
请求联机； 注册
white-collar [六级]
美[ˌwaɪt ˈkɑːlər] | 英[ˌwaɪt ˈkɒlə(r)]
adj. 白领阶层的
felt [专八]
美[fɛlt] | 英[felt]
n. 毛毡；毡制品 vt. 制毡；使粘结 vi. 毡合
disparate [专八]
美[ˈdɪspərət] | 英[ˈdɪspərət]
adj. 不同的；异类的
sap [专八]
美[sæp] | 英[sæp]
n. 树液；汁液；精力；[俚]易上当的人；地道 v. 挖地道；削弱；逐渐耗竭
wholesale [考研]
美[ˈhoʊlseɪl] | 英[ˈhəʊlseɪl]
adj. 批发的；大规模的；草率的 adv. 批发地；大规模地 n. 批发 v. 批发
hypothetical [考研]
美[ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl] | 英[ˌhaɪpəˈθetɪkl]
adj. 假设的；假定的
重点讲解
Machines and meaning of work
机器与工作的意义
outage n. （电、煤气、水等的）断供
【例】a power/water outage 停电/停水
【近义词】a power failure 停电
blackout n. 停电
July 19th was a day for help-desk heroes and support superstars. A routine software update by CrowdStrike, a cyber-security company, caused computer outages in offices, hospitals and airports worldwide.
7月19日是属于帮助台英雄和技术支持超级明星的日子。网络安全公司“群体攻击”的一次例行软件更新导致全球办公室、医院和机场的计算机出现故障。
outage n. （电、煤气、水等的）断供
【例】a power/water outage 停电/停水
【近义词】a power failure 停电
blackout n. 停电
Most white-collar workers looked disconsolately at their screens and realised just how useless they are if they cannot log in. People in IT came to the rescue of helpless colleagues and stranded passengers.
大多数白领工作者沮丧地看着屏幕，并意识到如果无法登录，他们是多么无用。IT部门的人员前来营救无助的同事和滞留的乘客。
come to the rescue of sb 来援救某人
【例】Our car couldn't start, but a friend came to the our rescue and drove us home.
我们的车没法启动，一位朋友来救了我们，开车送我们回家。
strand v. 使滞留；使搁浅
【例】A ship was stranded on the rocks.
—条船搁浅在礁石上。
The storm left hundreds of tourists stranded at the airport.
暴风雨使成百上千的游客滞留在机场。
【近义词】trap v. 使困住；使困在险境
maroon v. 放逐孤岛；使孤立无援且无法脱身
Their work that day was full of stress—but also full of meaning. If machines can add purpose to some jobs when they fail, what about when they work properly?
他们那天的工作充满了压力，但也充满了意义。如果机器在出现故障时可以为某些工作增添意义，那么当机器正常运行时，又会怎样呢？
purpose n. 目的；用途；意义
【例】the purpose of the event 此次活动的目的
the purpose of life 人生的意义
【搭配】on purpose 故意地
【拓展】purposeful adj. 有意义的；有目标的
hypothetical adj. 假设的
【例】a hypothetical situation 假设的情况
【拓展】hypothesis n. 假设；假说
hypothesize v. 假设；假定
【近义词】assumption n. 假定；臆测
wholesale adj.
1. 批发的
【例】wholesale prices 批发价格
【反义词】retail adj. 零售的
2. 大规模的
【例】wholesale layoffs 大规模裁员
【近义词】mass/large-scale adj. 大规模的
This is not an idle question. Discussions about artificial intelligence (AI) in particular easily get lost in hypothetical debates about wholesale job losses or, worse, the nature of consciousness.
这不是一个无聊的问题。关于人工智能的讨论尤其容易迷失在关于大规模失业，或者更糟糕的，关于意识之本质的假设性辩论中。
purpose n. 目的；用途；意义
【例】the purpose of the event 此次活动的目的
the purpose of life 人生的意义
【搭配】on purpose 故意地
【拓展】purposeful adj. 有意义的；有目标的
hypothetical adj. 假设的
【例】a hypothetical situation 假设的情况
【拓展】hypothesis n. 假设；假说
hypothesize v. 假设；假定
【近义词】assumption n. 假定；臆测
wholesale adj.
1. 批发的
【例】wholesale prices 批发价格
【反义词】retail adj. 零售的
2. 大规模的
【例】wholesale layoffs 大规模裁员
【近义词】mass/large-scale adj. 大规模的
But technologies tend to spread in less dramatic ways, task by task rather than role by role. Before machines replace individuals, they change the nature of the work they do. That is likely to affect job satisfaction.
但技术的传播往往不是那么突然，是一项任务一项任务地传播，不是一个角色一个角色地传播。在机器取代个人之前，机器会改变它们所做工作的性质。这可能会影响工作满意度。
affect v. 造成改变；影响
【例】Your opinion will not affect my decision.
你的意见不会影响我的决定。
【近义词】influence v. 影响
have an effect on 对......产生影响
【辨析】effect n./v. 效果；效应/使实现
A paper from 2011 by Michael Barrett of the University of Cambridge and his co-authors found that the introduction of drug-dispensing robots into hospital pharmacies had disparate effects.
2011年，剑桥大学的迈克尔·巴雷特及其合著者发表的一篇论文发现，将配药机器人引入医院药房会产生完全不同的效果。
disparate adj. 完全不同的；迥异的
【例】The two cultures were so disparate that it was hard to find common ground.
这两种文化完全不同，很难找到共同点。
【拓展】disparity n. 差异；不平等
【例】the disparity between rich and poor 贫富差异
【近义词】discrepancy n. 差异；不一致
【例】the discrepancy in their performance 他们成绩方面的差异
roll sth back 使后退；恢复到原来水平
【例】to roll back prices 让价格恢复到涨价前的水平
to roll back a policy 撤销一项政策
Pharmacists felt the quality of their jobs had improved because they had more time for patient counselling. Like the IT administrators rolling back the CrowdStrike update, technicians enjoyed the enhanced status that came with knowing how to fix the robots.
药剂师认为他们的工作质量有所提高，因为他们有更多的时间为患者提供咨询。就像IT管理员恢复“群体攻击”的更新一样，技术人员享受着知道如何修复机器人所带来的地位提高。
disparate adj. 完全不同的；迥异的
【例】The two cultures were so disparate that it was hard to find common ground.
这两种文化完全不同，很难找到共同点。
【拓展】disparity n. 差异；不平等
【例】the disparity between rich and poor 贫富差异
【近义词】discrepancy n. 差异；不一致
【例】the discrepancy in their performance 他们成绩方面的差异
roll sth back 使后退；恢复到原来水平
【例】to roll back prices 让价格恢复到涨价前的水平
to roll back a policy 撤销一项政策
Pharmacy assistants had a more miserable time of it, however, as their role shrank to loading medicine into the machines. A technology that cuts down on boring tasks is fine; one that threatens your sense of identity is not.
然而，药房助理的日子不太好过，因为他们的职责缩减为将药品装入机器。能减少无聊任务的技术是好的；但威胁到你身份认同感的技术则不好。
identity n. 身份；个性；特性
【例】identity papers 身份证明文件
identity crisis 自我认同危机
to preserve the identity of the village 保留村庄的特色
【拓展】identify v. 指明身份；确定；发现
It is still too early to know how AI will affect the quality of work. The thing for managers to remember is that machines can make employees feel differently about their work.
要知道人工智能将如何影响工作质量，现在还为时过早。管理者要记住的是，机器会让员工对工作产生不同的感受。
impose v. 强制实施；强加
【例】to impose a policy 强制实施一项政策
to impose my idea on you 把我的想法强加给你
sap v. 使虚弱；削弱（n. 植物的汁液）
【例】The long journey sapped their strength.
长途跋涉让他们精疲力尽。
A long week of work sapped him of his energy.
漫长的工作周耗尽了他的精力。
【近义词】exhaust/drain v. 耗尽；吸干
【辨析】sag v. 下凹；下垂
So it matters whether new technologies are introduced in collaboration with employees or imposed from above, and whether they enhance or sap their sense of competence. Bosses who ignore these issues are missing something meaningful.
因此，新技术是与员工合作引入还是由上而下强加的，以及新技术是增强还是削弱了员工的胜任感，这些都很重要。老板们如果忽视这些问题，就会错过有意义的东西。
impose v. 强制实施；强加
【例】to impose a policy 强制实施一项政策
to impose my idea on you 把我的想法强加给你
sap v. 使虚弱；削弱（n. 植物的汁液）
【例】The long journey sapped their strength.
长途跋涉让他们精疲力尽。
A long week of work sapped him of his energy.
漫长的工作周耗尽了他的精力。
【近义词】exhaust/drain v. 耗尽；吸干
【辨析】sag v. 下凹；下垂
课后练习
What does the computer outages on July 19th show about the work of IT staff?
A. Their work is generally full of stress.
B. Their work is useful and meaningful.
C. They work on preventing data breaches.
D. They are not essential to daily operations.
What does the author focus on regarding the spread of AI technology?
A. The large-scale replacement of entire job roles.
B. The hypothetical debates about AI consciousness.
C. The most efficient way of applying AI technologies to work.
D. The gradual change in the nature of tasks and job satisfaction.
What does the paper by Michael Barrett show?
A. Robots can enhance the status of junior workers in the pharmacy.
B. Robots universally improve job satisfaction by doing boring tasks.
C. Robots make the tasks of some people more repetitive and dull.
D. Robots can replace the need for human workers in the pharmacy.
What should managers keep in mind when introducing AI technologies in the workplace?
A. AI technologies will always enhance employee competence.
B. The introduction of AI can change employees’ sense of purpose.
C. AI technologies should be imposed from above to ensure efficiency.
D. Employees need training to learn how to work with AI productively.
