5 ms·

Not sure if that's good for us. We're doing work for google for free. Google Translate will replace translators, Google car will replace drivers, Google VR + m

by akerro 10y ago

Not sure if that's good for us. We're doing work for google for free. Google Translate will replace translators, Google car will replace drivers, Google VR + map will replace city guides. We're giving them knowledge and powers to replace us, for free. Professions will disappear, people will lose jobs, Google will get richer and richer, will not pay me or you for fixing their suggestions in Google Translate or fixing maps or improving computed route from A to B. No one is being paid for that work, but someone is monetizing it.

schrodinger 10y ago
You could argue that your payment is access to all of the free services they offer (e.g. Gmail)
- juice_bus 10y ago
  Which is also mined for data for targeted advertisement, wouldn't that be the payment for access?
  - anoonmoose 10y ago
    Yes, but now we're really just arguing about the actual costs of those services.
- akerro 10y ago
  Will that feed me or make rich richer and poor poorer?
  - deadbunny 10y ago
    Is it meant to?
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
washadjeffmad 10y ago
I consider it more a donation towards posterity than getting stiffed on some short term compensation. It's just an opinion, but if the things Google has created and shared into the whole of human knowledge towards the betterment of future societies are still being used in a century for my grandkids (and the rest of humankind) to benefit from, then I think it's better than not having it because a few million people who couldn't have done it themselves said 'no' over a pittance. I can't speak for you, but my dying thoughts won't be a sour reflection on all of opportunities to monetize my existence I might have missed.
- Pigo 10y ago
  There is some trade off when you think of the benefits we get for free, in return, from Google. I barely recall what it was like to buy a map, writing down directions, and praying to God I didn't get thrown off on the way.
- iainmerrick 10y ago
  the things Google has created and shared into the whole of human knowledge Do they really share it, though? You can't download and reuse data from Google Maps or Street View the way you can from OpenStreetMap, say. I'm not saying this is a fatal problem. Google Maps is a lot more popular than OSM so the free-with-ads closed source approach clearly has a lot going for it. But the data isn't public, they own it.
taway_1212 10y ago
As long as automatic translators/drivers etc. are better and/or cheaper than human ones, everyone (except people in said professions) will benefit.
pizza234 10y ago
This assumes the amount of work is fixed. Some people consider it a fallacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy and some don't, so this point of view is arguable, to say the least. Regardless, translation is an intellectual work, driving (depending on the point of view), isn't. Same goes for city guides; people doesn't necessarily prefer an electronic device to a human.
Taylor_OD 10y ago
My brother teaches math to at risk youth in the Denver area. He has students that don't speak a lot of English (their primary language is Spanish) and he's trying to explain math concepts to them. He realized he can use google translate and get 95% of the information across that he needs to. I've never personally hired a professional translator and I don't think I would if I was going to travel to a country where the majority of people don't speak English because I assume a professional translator is expensive. However if I know I have free access to google translate which will be useful enough for me to navigate by myself I would be much more likely to go on such a trip. I'm sure some jobs will be lost but at least for middle class people who arnt able to afford translators the technology will be used to communicate better without affecting professional translators. There are plenty of similar professions that exist but not utilized by the middle/lower class due to cost. I would love to hire a interior decorator, as I'm sure plenty of home owners would, but I haven't due to the cost and likely never will. If Google (or any other company) offered a service where I put photos of my home online and gave me a free layout with online links to purchase the furniture I would be thrilled and no interior decorator would be out of a job because I wasn't going to pay for one anyway. I think its all about the level of quality you want.
- stoolpigeon 10y ago
  Google translate is decent for some languages and really poor for others - so I'd run it by some native speakers before you rely on it for anything important.
  - User_424 10y ago
    Work in the Language Service Industry. Google translate for a few languages is decent at best for social conversations. It is never used in serious business translations. The technology still has a long way to go.

by akerro 10y ago

schrodinger 10y ago

You could argue that your payment is access to all of the free services they offer (e.g. Gmail)

juice_bus 10y ago
Which is also mined for data for targeted advertisement, wouldn't that be the payment for access?
- anoonmoose 10y ago
  Yes, but now we're really just arguing about the actual costs of those services.
akerro 10y ago
Will that feed me or make rich richer and poor poorer?
- deadbunny 10y ago
  Is it meant to?

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

washadjeffmad 10y ago

I consider it more a donation towards posterity than getting stiffed on some short term compensation. It's just an opinion, but if the things Google has created and shared into the whole of human knowledge towards the betterment of future societies are still being used in a century for my grandkids (and the rest of humankind) to benefit from, then I think it's better than not having it because a few million people who couldn't have done it themselves said 'no' over a pittance. I can't speak for you, but my dying thoughts won't be a sour reflection on all of opportunities to monetize my existence I might have missed.

Pigo 10y ago
There is some trade off when you think of the benefits we get for free, in return, from Google. I barely recall what it was like to buy a map, writing down directions, and praying to God I didn't get thrown off on the way.
iainmerrick 10y ago
the things Google has created and shared into the whole of human knowledge Do they really share it, though? You can't download and reuse data from Google Maps or Street View the way you can from OpenStreetMap, say. I'm not saying this is a fatal problem. Google Maps is a lot more popular than OSM so the free-with-ads closed source approach clearly has a lot going for it. But the data isn't public, they own it.

taway_1212 10y ago

As long as automatic translators/drivers etc. are better and/or cheaper than human ones, everyone (except people in said professions) will benefit.

pizza234 10y ago

This assumes the amount of work is fixed. Some people consider it a fallacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lump_of_labour_fallacy and some don't, so this point of view is arguable, to say the least. Regardless, translation is an intellectual work, driving (depending on the point of view), isn't. Same goes for city guides; people doesn't necessarily prefer an electronic device to a human.

Taylor_OD 10y ago

My brother teaches math to at risk youth in the Denver area. He has students that don't speak a lot of English (their primary language is Spanish) and he's trying to explain math concepts to them. He realized he can use google translate and get 95% of the information across that he needs to. I've never personally hired a professional translator and I don't think I would if I was going to travel to a country where the majority of people don't speak English because I assume a professional translator is expensive. However if I know I have free access to google translate which will be useful enough for me to navigate by myself I would be much more likely to go on such a trip. I'm sure some jobs will be lost but at least for middle class people who arnt able to afford translators the technology will be used to communicate better without affecting professional translators. There are plenty of similar professions that exist but not utilized by the middle/lower class due to cost. I would love to hire a interior decorator, as I'm sure plenty of home owners would, but I haven't due to the cost and likely never will. If Google (or any other company) offered a service where I put photos of my home online and gave me a free layout with online links to purchase the furniture I would be thrilled and no interior decorator would be out of a job because I wasn't going to pay for one anyway. I think its all about the level of quality you want.

stoolpigeon 10y ago
Google translate is decent for some languages and really poor for others - so I'd run it by some native speakers before you rely on it for anything important.
- User_424 10y ago
  Work in the Language Service Industry. Google translate for a few languages is decent at best for social conversations. It is never used in serious business translations. The technology still has a long way to go.