When I was in the Navy, we safely operated nuclear propulsion plants by relying on the human mind over the technology. Now the technology is “trusted” more than the humans. If technology is to blame, then the human error is in the planners, designers, and leaders of the modern Navy.
Since leaving the Navy in 1988, I have spent the 29 years working in industrial automation as a tech, programmer, and manager; so I know what I’m talking about. We take decision making away from the humans to achieve faster and more consistent operations, but when something happens that is outside of the machine’s ability to react, no one is there as a knowledgeable backstop. Bad things happen and then we want to know how this got past the logic, the we demand more logic and more sensors for this particular event that has only happened once or twice. Or, we just blame the failure on “hacking” now.
I believe that the real error is in the capabilities of the Millennials who are on the bridge of these ships at night. No attention to detail. Little respect for authority. Short attention spans.
But these are all long term trends and shifts in the cultural mindset over a period of decades. It doesn’t explain a sudden rash of accidents around East Asia the last seven months.