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Well, the important threshold he isn't really commenting on -- but which is much more pertinent, is the further removal of blue collar labor. You are totally r

by hfourm 11y ago

Well, the important threshold he isn't really commenting on -- but which is much more pertinent, is the further removal of blue collar labor. You are totally right that for the most part, service oriented industries (design, marketing, etc) will remain long after those more labor and autonomous jobs have been transitioned into AI.

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
I disagree about the "blue collar labor" aspect as well. Aren't many lumberjacks in my neck of the woods these days, but woodworkers aplenty. Let's take another example. Perhaps McDonald's goes 100% automated, and a sub shop next door adopts automations for things like cleaning, but still cooks the food by hand. Sure, it doesn't take too much to make a sandwich, but it's the personal aspect that makes it more appealing. And maybe you go there because you like chatting with the people who work there. Couldn't get the same from a machine. I think before we get ahead of ourselves on AI we should re-read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and remember that the organic will always value the organic more than the inorganic.
- mc32 11y ago
  Depends... Some entry level jobs kind of breed contemptuous workers. So unless they have great training, such as Starbucks or any Japanese store in Japan, you may want to actually avoid interacting with people. And then you have the places where the servers think they're too good. That what they do is craftsmanship and artisan.
  - notahacker 11y ago
    But the places where the servers think they're too good are often successful businesses whose target market genuinely believes that what they're getting is artisanal produce served by master craftsmen. And at the lower end of the market, vending machine technology (including heated optimised-for-fast-food vending machine technology) has existed for many decades now, as has the production line technology to prepare most types of fast food. The McJobs are still there because fast food giants that invest heavily in researching process optimisation have continued to figure that relying mostly on minimum wage employees and using very little in the way of even basic robotics will actually generate more profit.
    - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
      Bingo on both fronts. Low-wage, low-quality establishments get away with not automating because they are subsidized by low minimum wages and food stamps. Quality establishments are seen as artisan because all it takes is a personal touch in a sea of robotics to feel that you're getting more than you are. I'm sure a pure price analysis of ingredients would show little differentiation (except, in MCDs case, that terrible "meat")

by hfourm 11y ago

rm_-rf_slash 11y ago

I disagree about the "blue collar labor" aspect as well. Aren't many lumberjacks in my neck of the woods these days, but woodworkers aplenty. Let's take another example. Perhaps McDonald's goes 100% automated, and a sub shop next door adopts automations for things like cleaning, but still cooks the food by hand. Sure, it doesn't take too much to make a sandwich, but it's the personal aspect that makes it more appealing. And maybe you go there because you like chatting with the people who work there. Couldn't get the same from a machine. I think before we get ahead of ourselves on AI we should re-read "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" and remember that the organic will always value the organic more than the inorganic.

mc32 11y ago
Depends... Some entry level jobs kind of breed contemptuous workers. So unless they have great training, such as Starbucks or any Japanese store in Japan, you may want to actually avoid interacting with people. And then you have the places where the servers think they're too good. That what they do is craftsmanship and artisan.
- notahacker 11y ago
  But the places where the servers think they're too good are often successful businesses whose target market genuinely believes that what they're getting is artisanal produce served by master craftsmen. And at the lower end of the market, vending machine technology (including heated optimised-for-fast-food vending machine technology) has existed for many decades now, as has the production line technology to prepare most types of fast food. The McJobs are still there because fast food giants that invest heavily in researching process optimisation have continued to figure that relying mostly on minimum wage employees and using very little in the way of even basic robotics will actually generate more profit.
  - rm_-rf_slash 11y ago
    Bingo on both fronts. Low-wage, low-quality establishments get away with not automating because they are subsidized by low minimum wages and food stamps. Quality establishments are seen as artisan because all it takes is a personal touch in a sea of robotics to feel that you're getting more than you are. I'm sure a pure price analysis of ingredients would show little differentiation (except, in MCDs case, that terrible "meat")