Introducing the Universal Automation Wiki

Automation is revolutionising the world again, in everything from software engineering, to healthcare, to logistics. Yet, as innovation accelerates, one thing remains unclear: how close are we to full automation? And where are the potential gaps in the markets?

That’s why I’m creating the Universal Automation Wiki, a data-driven platform designed to track, structure and democratise the progress towards full autonomy in a wide variety of industries and domains. Our plan is backed by a novel approach we call Iterative AI.

The goal is to create a clear, grounded understanding of where automation stands right now, and where it’s going next.

A Global Map of Automation

The Universal Automation Wiki is a living, open-source platform that tracks the progress of automation across every field: software development, agriculture, education, logistics, you name it.

But it’s not just another collection of articles or a traditional wiki. It’s a new system: a set of structured processes that breaks tasks down into actionable steps, visualises them in interactive trees, and lets the community vote on the most effective approaches.

At the core is a technology we call Iterative AI. It builds knowledge not from speculation, but from what already works. Each task tree begins with existing tools and techniques and grows step-by-step, guided by real-world feasibility.

Why Now?

Simply put, the timing for a project like this is excellent, a combination of contributing factors in the AI space is enabling this project to even exist as a concept:

The explosion in the capabilities of large language models (LLMs), especially those capable of running on consumer-grade hardware and the open source ecosystem.
The rise of agent-based AI systems (just have a look at Microsoft Build 2025)
Fragmented and biased automation knowledge across domains
Growing demand for realistic and actionable automation roadmaps
Increasing tech readiness for collaborative knowledge platforms

Why the Universal Automation Wiki is useful

Almost no one agrees on how far we still have to go in terms of automation, and the information that does exist is often siloed, biased, or based on intuition rather than data. We wanted to do better. We want to create:

A space where anyone, not just credentialed experts, can contribute meaningful insight.
A system where progress is measurable, not just inspirational
A platform that evolves as the technology evolves

How It Works

Most systems start from the top; they imagine an end goal and work backwards. This sounds logical, but it often leads to overly ambitious roadmaps, missed deadlines, and unpredictable timelines.

We’ve flipped that model on its head.

Instead of starting with a goal like “Automation customer support”, we start with a grounded question: “What tools already exist to handle customer inquiries?”, and from there, we build upwards.

This method doesn’t just reflect the real world more accurately, it helps identify where innovation is truly needed. It shows which components already work, where integration is possible, and what still needs to be invented.

What Makes Us Different

Feature	Universal Automation Wiki	Traditional Wikis	Expert Systems
Design	Bottom-up, starts with existing	Flat structure with categories	Top-down, starts with goals/concepts
Quality	Transparent & objective metrics- based scoring	Subjective editor concensus & citations	Closed "trust us" authority with limited transparency
Structure	Dynamic trees showing multiple solutions	Static articles with fragmented information	Rigid frameworks resistant to innovation
Timelines	Data-backed forecasts with measurable accuracy	Absent or purely speculative	Absent or purely speculative
Bias Mitigation	Democratic voting system immune to individual bias	Dominated by the vocal few & edit wars	Echo chambers reinforcing established viewpoints
Contribution	Inclusive system where quality speaks for itself	Requires editor/moderator approval	Exclusive club limited to established credentials
Adaptability	Rapid evolution through continuous feedback	Slow updates depending on editor/moderator availability	Resistant to change outside scheduled revision cycles

Who Could Benefit

We can see a lot of different groups of people being able to benefit from the Universal Automation Wiki due to the coverage of as many industries and domains as we can. Here are a few examples:

Researchers & developers who want to benchmark progress or spot automation gaps
Policy thinkers & futurists curious about automation’s trajectory
Educators & students looking for structured, real-world examples
Tech enthusiasts who want to understand, not just speculate, as to where things are going

How You Can Help

The Universal Automation Wiki is just starting, and we need your help, feedback and input. Here’s how you can get involved:

Explore the project: https://universalautomation.wiki
Join the conversation: Suggest new steps, vote on alternatives, and refine task trees
Contribute on GitHub: https://jamiem.me/uaw-github
Contact us: contact@universalautomation.wiki

Building an Open Future

Automation progress shouldn’t be overseen by a handful of organisations behind closed doors. It should be visible, participatory, and driven by collective intelligence.

With the Universal Automation Wiki, we’re creating a platform that reflects that belief.

We hope you’ll join us.

This project is being developed by Jamie Matthews and supervised by Dr. John Bustard in QLab, at Queen’s University Belfast.