The cotton gin was textbook automation. In a strange twist of fate, it actually increased the demand for labor. Because it was very labor intensive to remove the seeds from a cotton boll, cotton wasn't a very profitable industry. After the gin (short for engine, what developers call automation engines), demand for labor and land skyrocketed.
The cotton gin is an example of an automation removing the need for labor (deseeding cotton) and subsequently creating a greater need for labor elsewhere (planting and harvesting). Of course, in this example, the increased labor demand ultimately resulted in 720K deaths.
The cotton gin is an example of an automation removing the need for labor (deseeding cotton) and subsequently creating a greater need for labor elsewhere (planting and harvesting). Of course, in this example, the increased labor demand ultimately resulted in 720K deaths.