Looking to the future
Cade Gerlach
Imagine for a second a future in which the majority of work is done by machines and AI. These machines are efficient at producing goods and services. They require no sleep, no vacations, and do not ask to be paid. These machines are the most cost-effective workers a company can invest in. The question therefore is, how do we fit in? While, there will always be work that humans will partake in such as art, writing and creative design, there are not enough of these jobs to employ the majority of people. How will we be able to afford to buy the goods these machines produce if the majority of people don’t have a job?
One proposed solution is a basic income. In this model every citizen or resident of the country is provided a set amount of money each month by the government. People would then use the money to buy goods which have been made much cheaper due to the effectiveness of machines. While some argue that people don’t deserve to be given money, in the future that I described there aren’t enough jobs for everyone to be employed.
A second proposed solution is known as Luxury Communism or Techno-Communism. In this system the means of production are owned by everyone and fully automated. In addition housing, healthcare, education and housing are guaranteed along with a wage. This society would also ideally be democratic. While this system may invoke a knee-jerk reaction, it may work in the future and we should not look away from potential solutions because of their name.
The future I described is rapidly approaching. Robots are increasingly more complex and efficient. In addition AI is improving rapidly. There will likely be a day when robots and AI make up the majority of the workforce. Many people will likely be unemployed. While this may not come to pass as we create a new form of labour for us to do, if it does we must be prepared to move in a bold direction. I’m interested in what you all have to say.
Works Cited
Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
"Basic Income." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
"Fully Automated Luxury Communism." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 2015. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
Robertreich. "Robertreich." Robert Reich. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
"Technological Utopianism." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.
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ReplyDeleteCade, this may be the inevitable future of our economy; however, giving a people a set amount of money does not represent the values of our economic system. Giving people the same amount of money is communistic and would strip the capitalist US of everything we have ever been. There has to be some other way that people can earn an income than this. I would suggest investing in specialization in specific job categories, like architecture, where people can still have jobs.
ReplyDeleteOur economic system will not work in its current state in the future if the majority of the workforce is automated. Capitalism will die if people don't have money to spend; the capitalist system requires money to work but how will people earn an income if there aren't enough jobs. Paradoxically goods will be the cheapest they've been in history but almost nobody will be able to buy them. As to specialized jobs do you really think there will be enough jobs for full employment? While I would like this to be the case, I don't think it's very likely. In addition Socialism is where the workers own the means of production. If a universal income is implemented then the means of production are still owned by private interests.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Ryan as although this is a very possible future, your proposed plan does not reflect any values of our economic system. Although I see where you are getting your ideas from, there are still many ways people will be able to make a living. There are many different jobs from architecture and strategic thinking to playing professional sports in which robots won't be able to complete. There will be some jobs in which the robots will exceed in such as assembly line type jobs, but even if they complete this job there will still need to be people programming and designing the robots themselves. Ultimately in the far future robots will become a very present and real topic but as of now there is still a long way to go.
I feel as though a shift towards heavily automated production will just shift the job market towards more intellectual-based jobs, instead of just decreasing the total amount of jobs from the market. Even today, the majority of jobs require complex thinking , rather than just mindless fast food or factory jobs. But with this increased focus on intellectual-based jobs, higher education will be more valuable and probably necessary for everyone. Because of this, I think the cost barrier for a college degree will need to be decreased or maybe just be completely erased via subsidization by the government (like for elementary through high school), but that would only happen in the distant future.
ReplyDeleteHuman beings may not be perfect in everything but humans are the ones who make machines. Naturally, that makes them more efficient than machines as the vice versa is not possible. Besides the meaning of efficiency is not limited to doing a lot of things in a short period of time, it also involves the use of many skills machines do not possess. For eg: Machines lack in reasoning, art and creativity but human beings lack of speed is compensated by their emotional intelligence, adaptability and most importantly empathy.There are many professions in which machines will never be able to replace human beings due to the lack of these skills... Like doctors, teachers, lawyers, architects, pilots...All of these professions require presences of mind, creativity and empathy. Finally, machines may break down due to wear and tear. They can’t repair themselves only human beings can do the repair.
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