> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.automanlang.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.automanlang.org/technical-documentation/what-is-automan.md). # What is AutoMan? AutoMan is the first fully automatic *crowdprogramming* system. AutoMan integrates human-based ("crowdsourced") computations into a standard programming language as ordinary function calls that can be intermixed freely with traditional functions. This abstraction lets programmers focus on their programming logic. An AutoMan program specifies a *confidence level* for the overall computation and a *budget*. The AutoMan runtime system then transparently manages all details necessary for scheduling, pricing, and quality control. AutoMan automatically schedules human tasks for each computation until it achieves the desired confidence level; monitors, reprices, and restarts human tasks as necessary; and maximizes parallelism across human workers while staying under budget. AutoMan is available as a library for Scala. ## Where did it all come from? AutoMan is being actively developed by [Daniel Barowy](http://www.cs.williams.edu/~dbarowy/) at [Williams College](https://csci.williams.edu/) and [Emery Berger](https://emeryberger.com/) at the [PLASMA Laboratory](http://plasma.cs.umass.edu/) at the [University of Massachusetts Amherst](https://www.cics.umass.edu/). Portions of AutoMan were developed as a collaboration with researchers at [Microsoft Research NYC](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/lab/microsoft-research-new-york/). --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.automanlang.org/technical-documentation/what-is-automan.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.