machinecentered

Machinecentered is a term used to describe approaches, systems, or mind-sets that place machines or automated processes at the core of design, operation, or decision making. It is often contrasted with human-centered or user-centered frameworks, and may appear as machine-centered, machine centered, or machinecentered in different texts.

In manufacturing and industrial engineering, machine-centered approaches emphasize optimizing throughput, uptime, and maintenance alignment around machine capabilities. Production workflows are designed to maximize machine efficiency, often with human roles arranged to support automated tasks rather than to guide them.

In software, systems design, and human–computer interaction, a machine-centered orientation prioritizes automation and algorithmic control. Interfaces and processes may be shaped to reflect what the system can do, potentially reducing explicit user input. This can improve consistency and speed but may diminish user agency and raise concerns about explainability and resilience.

In policy, governance, and ethics, machine-centered perspectives involve relying on automated decision-making or advisory systems to drive choices. Debates focus on accountability, bias, transparency, and the balance between automation benefits and human oversight.

Terminology varies slightly by field; machine-centered, machine-centric, and machinecentered are used interchangeably in some sources. The term is generally descriptive rather than a formal doctrine, signaling a priority given to mechanical or algorithmic processes over human-centered considerations.

See also: human-centered design, automation, cybernetics, systems engineering, artificial intelligence governance.