Welp, here I come back and people are thinking me a socialist wingnut. That wasn't the bend I was taking (though I'll concede, "fair and equitable", at least in today's hyperpolitical realm, might come off as making me sound like some foaming-at-the-mouth wealth redistributionist). The world is absolutely a better place today than it ever was in history, I agree & never argued otherwise. Again, I see great potential for AI to continue that trend. I was more getting at the point I've made that I fear AI/automation will be rolled out at fast-enough pace so as to out-strip proper planning & understanding of its effects.
As long as there is scarcity in anything, someone somewhere will have a job. The economies of scale in using automation could mean that prices for lots of goods could plummet and so what if I'm laid off for now, or making a lot less money if I'm only paying 1/4 what I used to for my goods. In all, I agree that I'd rather the market decides what kind of labor evolves rather than some politician.
But, I'm salty about how slanted the system has gotten lately (hey, we had to ruin the robber baron's party a century or so ago) and IMO, well before the benefits of automation are felt by the masses, it'll probably be used as a tool to further stratify wealth in this country at least. The juice will probably be worth the squeeze but, with legislators that can barely dial an outside line succumbing to lobbying power, it could be a real bitch to deal with for a generation or so.
As long as there is scarcity in anything, someone somewhere will have a job. The economies of scale in using automation could mean that prices for lots of goods could plummet and so what if I'm laid off for now, or making a lot less money if I'm only paying 1/4 what I used to for my goods. In all, I agree that I'd rather the market decides what kind of labor evolves rather than some politician.
But, I'm salty about how slanted the system has gotten lately (hey, we had to ruin the robber baron's party a century or so ago) and IMO, well before the benefits of automation are felt by the masses, it'll probably be used as a tool to further stratify wealth in this country at least. The juice will probably be worth the squeeze but, with legislators that can barely dial an outside line succumbing to lobbying power, it could be a real bitch to deal with for a generation or so.
Current: '20 Kia Stinger GT2 RWD | '20 Yamaha R3 | '04 Lexus IS300 SD
Past: '94 Mazda RX-7 | '04 Lexus IS300 (RIP) | '00 Jeep XJ | '99 Mazda 10AE Miata | '88 Toyota Supra Turbo
My MM Movies - Watch Them Here
Past: '94 Mazda RX-7 | '04 Lexus IS300 (RIP) | '00 Jeep XJ | '99 Mazda 10AE Miata | '88 Toyota Supra Turbo
My MM Movies - Watch Them Here