Cambridge Business Association
Crash
Article

Crash

How computers are setting us up for disaster

Tim Harford
The Guardian, 2016
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

Economist Tim Harford challenges the typical way people utilize automated systems. He warns about the dangers of relying too much on automation and suggests ways in which people can benefit from automation without surrendering human judgment. getAbstract recommends this article to anyone who works with automated systems on a regular basis – and anyone who depends on those people’s skills.

Summary

In 2009, during a trip from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, Air France Flight 447 plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean killing the 228 people on board. The plane was in good working order at the time of the crash. However, during a thunderstorm, ice on one of the aircraft’s airspeed sensors had temporarily disabled the automatic fly-by-wire system, which had relegated the plane to manual control. The unexperienced pilot in the cockpit didn’t realize that he was now in charge. He panicked and inadvertently stalled the aircraft – a fundamental and avoidable mistake – and the plane crashed.

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About the Author

Tim Harford is an economist and journalist from England. He is a senior editor at the Financial Times and has authored multiple books, including Messy and The Undercover Economist.

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