The world has experienced the greatest disruption in oil and gas since the invention of rotary drilling. Turbulent economic conditions, heightened environmental consciousness, and increased health and safety regulation, combined with artificial intelligence, digital twins, and edge computing, have created both a "perfect storm" and an unheralded opportunity for best practices and a common target for the industry. Transitioning from decision support systems to constrained autonomous systems, contemporary drilling automation is executing discrete work flows with precision and consistency beyond human capabilities. Drilling automation technology's strategic, operational, and organisational factors are examined in this thesis by synthesising 32 technical papers, white papers, case studies, and press releases published between 2013 and 2025.