"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."

submitted by EndlessSunflowers from i.imgur.com

sorted by:
top
newinsightfulfun
you are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

[–]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.