The issue of expanding automation in foreign combat and domestic policing alike raises many questions apart from the legality of its use in war.
Siemens, Europe's largest engineering company, plans to buy a German maker of ship motors and windmill turbines from Citigroup for 1.2 billion euros ($1.5 billion) to expand its automation division.
Today, Oracle announced it was expanding that automation beyond the database to other parts of its developer cloud platform.
Just this week Oracle announced that it was expanding its automation capabilities on its Platform as a Service offerings from databases to a range of areas including security.
But it will face deep competition from a strong cadre of mobile CRM companies and expanding marketing automation companies such as Marketo, which has services similar to ExactTarget, the company Salesforce Salesforce acquired for $2.5 billion.
Blue Prism looks to partners to expand robotic process automation with AI.
For HPE, the idea here is clearly to expand its existing infrastructure, automation and cloud services with SimpliVity's platform.
GM's Cruise Automation will expand its test pool, while keeping a focus on city driving, something it has said gives it an edge in the autonomous driving space.
"Pick an initial feature of your home you would use the most in terms of automation, and expand from there," says Lee Travis, owner of Wipliance in Bellevue, Washington.
Until now, that kind of expanded home-security automation has been largely the domain of high-tech hobbyists.
Given expanding opportunities for automation, firms may seize on higher wage-floors as an excuse to reorganise production and shed jobs.
