Automation is the usage of computer programs or machinery with the intended purpose of removing the human element from the process of achieving a goal. In its most basic form, machines in factories are an example of automation. Vending machines are automation. Automation can be used in industrial to creative pursuits. The video below details a computer program that slowly learns how to play Mario and multiple other games.

Lev Manovich, “What Is New Media?” from The Language of New Media, p. 53.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOCurBYI_gY[/youtube]