Now the machine is very complex, and a lot of difficult work is automated. Does this machine automation have more pros than cons?

-[Harpeet Singh Dhillon]

Modern technology has equipped us with machines, which are working like robots. There are positive and negative effects of these machines on the individual and the society, which I shall highlight in this essay. Overall the pros outweigh the cons.

On the positive side, machines are faster, more convenient and energy saving. Households and industries are much facilitated with machines. Personal use of machines gives people more free time to spend with family and pursue hobbies. Likewise, industrial use of machines reduces manpower for work and increases output. ln the words of Oscar Wilde - "On mechanical slavery, on the slavery of the machine, the future of the world depends."

Moreover, computer machines or robots manage our banks and even the tickets at the airport are issued by machine-robot. The computerization certainly relieves human beings from dull repetitive task without any human error. What is more, robotic surgery is being done to overcome the limitation of human beings such as trembling of human hands. Microscopic surgeries and eye operations can be better done with the help of robotic surgeons.

On the negative side, machines reduce the need of manual work, which can lead to unemployment especially in the developing countries. What is more, insufficient knowledge of machine handling and operating is detrimental to uneducated workers and they end up getting injuries or disabilities while working with machines. Technical failures can also disturb the whole working system and lead to losses. Other negative effects of machines are on the health of individuals, especially the housewives who rely heavily on machines for the household chores. Machines are a failure where creative work is required. For example, machines cannot reproduce the unique and original work done by many artisans. lt has been rightly said that a rnachine can do the work of a thousand ordinary men, but no machine can do the work

of one extraordinary man.

Overall, the positive effects of machines outweigh the negative effects on the individual and society. However, in developing countries, in order to meet the employment needs of the population, a balance has to be maintained between manual work and mechanization.