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> he said he'd never change job because he likes human contact But do all the people he serves like human contact? In some cases it might be a one-way thing wh

> he said he'd never change job because he likes human contact But do all the people he serves like human contact? In some cases it might be a one-way thing where the server thrives off the human contact, but the customer finds it bothersome. One of the great things about the automation that has come along already, like self-service supermarket checkouts and ticket vending machines, is that people who don’t like interacting with strangers can get the everyday services they need in peace and solitude.

lm28469 8y ago
If the end goal of humanity is to be a bunch of loners who only interact with and through machines we're on good tracks. We could also just stay in bed and be fed by tubes, we wouldn't even have to move, 100% efficiency, 0% loss. A society of pure production/consumption without human contacts, man if that's what we're heading to we're in for a wild ride. > everyday services they need in peace and solitude. Move out of the city and you get all the peace and solitude you'll ever need. When you move to a tech hot spot to milk the sweet sweet IT money you kind of sign the social agreement of interacting with other human beings. That's the whole point of societies in the first place; people interacting and exchanging goods and services while living on a shared territory. If human interactions make someone sick to the point of actively avoiding them I think we should stop for a bit and start asking the right questions.
- Mediterraneo10 8y ago
  > If the end goal of humanity is to be a bunch of loners who only interact with and through machines we're on good tracks. Someone who doesn’t like customer service interactions isn’t necessarily a loner with no human contact in his/her life. The person may be a keen member of clubs, meet people through social networks and then transition to IRL meetups, etc. The difference is that there, people bond over a shared interest, they feel something in common. In a customer-service interaction, there is no common bond, just a transaction, and so the interaction is not cherished human contact. From the shop clerk’s side, it is extremely common to hear complaints about the effort involved in feigning politeness, smiling, etc. Why are you so shocked if some customers feel the same way? > When you move to a tech hot spot to milk the sweet sweet IT money Not everyone on HN is employed in tech.
  - lm28469 8y ago
    I don't know where you live but I traveled quite a bit and I never had to do more than say "Hi, can I have a coffee, thanks" and hand over the money. But let's say for the sake of argument that we do replace all these bs jobs. What happens when you go to a bank for a mortgage and the AI doesn't agree with your conditions ? It's the same problem with autonomous cars, it works good when the conditions are absolutely perfect, the second a problem arise it becomes useless. You end up needing redundant people to watch over machines, just like what happens in factories, but these are job for skilled workers. What happens to all the unskilled workers you replaced ? They find other bs jobs. There are many automated coffee machine in my office, they cost thousand of euros each, every few weeks we have to call the company's technicians to come and fix them because there is always 1 or 2 of them which stop working. What do you think will happen for that $33k robot arm ?

lm28469 8y ago

If the end goal of humanity is to be a bunch of loners who only interact with and through machines we're on good tracks. We could also just stay in bed and be fed by tubes, we wouldn't even have to move, 100% efficiency, 0% loss. A society of pure production/consumption without human contacts, man if that's what we're heading to we're in for a wild ride. > everyday services they need in peace and solitude. Move out of the city and you get all the peace and solitude you'll ever need. When you move to a tech hot spot to milk the sweet sweet IT money you kind of sign the social agreement of interacting with other human beings. That's the whole point of societies in the first place; people interacting and exchanging goods and services while living on a shared territory. If human interactions make someone sick to the point of actively avoiding them I think we should stop for a bit and start asking the right questions.

Mediterraneo10 8y ago
> If the end goal of humanity is to be a bunch of loners who only interact with and through machines we're on good tracks. Someone who doesn’t like customer service interactions isn’t necessarily a loner with no human contact in his/her life. The person may be a keen member of clubs, meet people through social networks and then transition to IRL meetups, etc. The difference is that there, people bond over a shared interest, they feel something in common. In a customer-service interaction, there is no common bond, just a transaction, and so the interaction is not cherished human contact. From the shop clerk’s side, it is extremely common to hear complaints about the effort involved in feigning politeness, smiling, etc. Why are you so shocked if some customers feel the same way? > When you move to a tech hot spot to milk the sweet sweet IT money Not everyone on HN is employed in tech.
- lm28469 8y ago
  I don't know where you live but I traveled quite a bit and I never had to do more than say "Hi, can I have a coffee, thanks" and hand over the money. But let's say for the sake of argument that we do replace all these bs jobs. What happens when you go to a bank for a mortgage and the AI doesn't agree with your conditions ? It's the same problem with autonomous cars, it works good when the conditions are absolutely perfect, the second a problem arise it becomes useless. You end up needing redundant people to watch over machines, just like what happens in factories, but these are job for skilled workers. What happens to all the unskilled workers you replaced ? They find other bs jobs. There are many automated coffee machine in my office, they cost thousand of euros each, every few weeks we have to call the company's technicians to come and fix them because there is always 1 or 2 of them which stop working. What do you think will happen for that $33k robot arm ?