automation

noun

Etymology: From automatic + -ion or automaton + -ion; coined by a Ford Executive Vice President, Delmar S. Harder, in the 1940s.

1. The act or process of converting the controlling of a machine or device to a more automatic system, such as computer or electronic controls.

   “With all the discussion of automation, one point seems to have been largely overlooked. In a number of fields, automatic controls do not merely cut costs. They also make possible production processes that otherwise could not be attempted.”

   “The presidential campaign has been more focused on Bain Capital and an “apology tour” than on the challenges created by globalization and automation.”