in automation technology, most things that can be automated, already are.

I could certainly see some lower-paying service jobs being threatened by automation (ordering kiosks at fast food restaurants, for example). But in terms of industrial automation, any operation that can be made more efficient by automation already has been. If anything, companies discovered through the 90's and 00's the limits of automation and have backed-off the vision of a "lights out" factory.

Automation is only good for highly repetitive tasks or those where the logic tree can be readily and simply flow-charted. Anything that requires adaptability is incredibly difficult to automate and it tends to be cheaper to just hire human beings. Plus, automated systems tend to require extensive support staffs. So they may save a few unskilled jobs, but they end up adding more engineering, mechanic, and electrician jobs (i.e. better jobs).

I've worked in manufacturing my whole professional life, and I'm just not seeing any new things being automated anymore. Since about 2005, I've only seen automation being added to increase capacity, not to reduce headcount.