Artisan
An artisan is a specialist profession involved in the design and manufacture of consumer goods. Employed in a wide variety of industries, artisans use computer-aided design programs to create schematics for items to be sent to automated manufacturing plants. These manufactured products range from electronics to light vehicles to textiles to prefabricated buildings. In addition to designing new products, artisans are generally responsible for the upkeep, oversight, and maintenance of the machines that produce their goods.
Historically, artisans were a class of urban craftspeople that predated every civilisation's Industrial Age. They crafted items by hand, and were widely renowned for their skill. However, the economies of scale introduced by machines, scientific management, assembly lines, and simplified processes meant that artisans were outcompeted and fell into irrelevance. Over time, as consumer products became increasingly complex, the term became reclaimed in many languages across the galaxy as beings that were exceptional at designing these products. Following the development of 3D printers and later replicators, anyone with access to small amounts of money could purchase and manufacture their own products. The modern artisan profession developed out of this, specialised in programming replicators to produce high-quality goods in a way reminiscent of pre-industrial craftspeople.
The advent of advanced artificial intelligences - particularly the Self-Evolving Logic System - has both allowed more individuals to become artisans, and allowed existing artisans to become even more proficient at their work. AI systems are capable of handling data-heavy elements of the profession, such as analysis and prediction of market trends or optimal material sources, freeing artisans to focus on the actual design of their products.
Artisans are also important for non-consumer purposes. Electronics engineers are generally grouped under this category, and they manufacture critical components for starships, heavy vehicles, and weapon systems. This field has some overlap with metallurgy, though the finished electronic systems (such as circuit boards, computer chips, and gravity emitters) are considered to be a field of artisanship.
Historically, artisans were a class of urban craftspeople that predated every civilisation's Industrial Age. They crafted items by hand, and were widely renowned for their skill. However, the economies of scale introduced by machines, scientific management, assembly lines, and simplified processes meant that artisans were outcompeted and fell into irrelevance. Over time, as consumer products became increasingly complex, the term became reclaimed in many languages across the galaxy as beings that were exceptional at designing these products. Following the development of 3D printers and later replicators, anyone with access to small amounts of money could purchase and manufacture their own products. The modern artisan profession developed out of this, specialised in programming replicators to produce high-quality goods in a way reminiscent of pre-industrial craftspeople.
The advent of advanced artificial intelligences - particularly the Self-Evolving Logic System - has both allowed more individuals to become artisans, and allowed existing artisans to become even more proficient at their work. AI systems are capable of handling data-heavy elements of the profession, such as analysis and prediction of market trends or optimal material sources, freeing artisans to focus on the actual design of their products.
Artisans are also important for non-consumer purposes. Electronics engineers are generally grouped under this category, and they manufacture critical components for starships, heavy vehicles, and weapon systems. This field has some overlap with metallurgy, though the finished electronic systems (such as circuit boards, computer chips, and gravity emitters) are considered to be a field of artisanship.
Type
Industrial
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