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Is there any difference between automatically and in an automated manner? For example,

Automatically

He's been made redundant, as all of his tasks are now done automatically.

Automated

He's been made redundant, as all of his tasks have been automated.

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  • Automatically could mean "done without to think of it," as in "she did it automatically."
    – avpaderno
    Commented Mar 24, 2011 at 18:34

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They are similar but sometimes distinct, as might be seen from comparing

He was brought up to say thank you automatically

with

He was brought up to say thank you in an automated manner

The former is about consistent courtesy. The latter is about talking like an automaton.

In the examples in your question, I might take the first example to mean the machines he used to operate do not need him any more, while the second might mean that new machines had replaced him. It depends on the context.

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I think that 'in an automated manner' is most usually used to describe a mechanical process, whereas 'automatically' is equally used for human actions and mechanical processes.

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I believe the use of these adjectives depends on wether you are talking about the process/method/implementation with which something is done, or talking about the actual execution or result of that process.

Automated refers to the process:

The factory is automated

Automatic refers to the execution of the process:

The car production is automatic

While it is harder to apply that distinction for more abstract concepts, it is in general possible to distinguish between a process and its execution.

The difference between "automatically" and "in an automated manner" should then be clear. The "manner" or the "tasks" correspond to the process, and thus are "automated". The "done tasks" are the result of the process, and their execution is "automatic", they are "done automatically".

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  • Perhaps more detailed examples would help to clarify: The sentence "The car production is automatic." implies that the car production occurs without unnecessary intervention or additional approval. For instance, if someone orders a custom car online, a factory just begins making the car without any delay or further interaction. In fact, the "automatic" statement could even be said of car that is manufactured completely by human hands (not automated in the modern sense using robots), as long as the process is initiated and completed without additional approval, interruptions or instruction.
    – C Perkins
    Commented Aug 7, 2017 at 20:34
  • On the other hand, "The factory is automated" does not imply at all that it produces anything automatically. Each step of the factory may well include robots and machines that perform multiple, complicated tasks, perhaps tasks that previously required many humans to perform and verify. But despite the automation, such a process could be restrained with bureaucratic approvals, additional commands programmed into the computer systems, maintenance schedules, etc -- definitely not automatic. So neither word must imply the other.
    – C Perkins
    Commented Aug 7, 2017 at 20:40
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The two are only slightly related. For example, think of the heating and cooling system in a home. In the past we had to manually adjust our thermostat to produce the desired temperature in our home (or stoke the fire in the fireplace (lol)). Now, we set our thermostat to 70 degrees. Once the temperature in the room reaches 70 degrees the heating/cooling system shuts off automatically. This is because the technology in the heating and cooling system has been designed or automated to sense the temperature in the room and make the adjustment for us.

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