"We should not be haunted by the specter of being automated out of work. We should be excited by that. But the reason we're not excited by it is because we live in a society where if you don't have a job, you are left to die. And that is, at its core, our problem."

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[–]yetanotherone_sigh 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (7 children)

Like her or hate her, this statement isn't wrong at the core.

I'm involved in automation. In the last 20 years, my industry has almost 100% automated. My plant started with 43 people, 21 years ago when I began work there. Now we have 1 person - me. I take care of the automation. I installed it. I maintain it. I fix it if it breaks. I could say that I do the work of 43 people, but I don't. The automation does. And it does a better job than the people did.

This is going to be extremely disruptive to our society.

[–][deleted] 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

what happens when the last metaphorical "you" dies, aka no one is left that can fix the machine? Like in the short story The Machine Stops from 1909.

[–]magnora7 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

the short story The Machine Stops from 1909.

Nice reference. Here's the book if anyone wants to read it. It's short and memorable.

https://www.ele.uri.edu/faculty/vetter/Other-stuff/The-Machine-Stops.pdf

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

it predicted things really well

[–]yetanotherone_sigh 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I make no assumptions that they won't eliminate my position, too. What may happen is that I turn from a full time employee with benefits, to a 1099 contractor... or they may replace my job entirely with a roving contractor that serves many regional cities. Right now we are mandated to have one employee by the federal government rules. If they change that, I'm gone.

[–]go1dfish 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU

[–]yetanotherone_sigh 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I've used this video to demonstrate this effect to people who don't believe me. They don't stay unbelievers for long.

[–]FollowTheMoney 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This is an interesting POV since you were there pre-automation, during and post automation. What is your sense of this phenomena of humanity? Good or bad? Did your former co-workers blame you for them losing their jobs during the transition process? Has your job/life generally improved or is a lot more hectic since you are in charge of all of this? How are your former co-workers doing? Sorry this is a good AMA topic.

[–]EndlessSunflowers[S] 4 insightful - 3 fun4 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 3 fun -  (1 child)

I love her for many reasons not least of all the way she triggers hateful people LOL

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Plus, she's brave enough to try to speak through the massive Stockhom Syndrome wherein it is believed without WORK for works' sake (not for the sheer joy of it or contributing in a meaningful way) we have no purpose, no standing, no validity as living beings. Over the millennia we have come collectively to not question the outrageousness of having to EARN the right to live, rather than rejoice in our aliveness together and make this lovely planet a utopia.

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (5 children)

Humans will not survive the Ai that's coming. At best our conscience will be allowed to merge with some periphery of the new AI gods. We're building our own holocaust with Python right now

[–][deleted] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

recent xmen comics speculate on this, AI civlizations get so dense using up all material they collapse on themselves and that is what blackholes actually are

[–]bald-janitor 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

Blackhole kike mythology

[–][deleted] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Could be true or maybe not. The fairer view would be our economy is based on what workers spend. We need to address that first. We do this buy raising the wages to reflect the reality that the top take to much of our wealth. You can't access that untill you do the first. What you fear is a solution to our problem. Math 160 billion working people making just five dollars an hour more 800 million dollars an hour of new spending no taxes needed just saying. The tax on that is huge the productivity and velousity of that kind of money can change the game. We will get to universal income just think it's not time for this right right now. Wages health care and jobs is what we need.

[–]yetanotherone_sigh 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

You certainly are not going to be able to stop the tide of automation. It's taking off big time. We can't deny it, we can't stop it, we can't turn it back, we can't even slow it down. The worker at McDonalds who gets replaced by an ordering kiosk has no say in the matter. The only thing he can do is learn a new skill that can't be replaced by a machine.

You are right that income inequality is a sickness in this society and it is bleeding the working class dry. Universal Basic Income, or at least taxing the automation at a higher rate, may be one solution. Taxing the rich is going to come one way or another. Eventually, if you don't, you get to the point of "eat the rich".

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Are you in the process of inventing a new kind of English atm?

[–]go1dfish 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhvoInEsCI0

[–]magnora7 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Interesting to hear Alan watts talk about automation, thanks for that.

[–]Kfcnow 1 insightful - 2 fun1 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

We need national socialism