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I wonder if a second go at central planning in the future using networks, machine learning and smartphones+ sensors could end up performing much better than sim
by thewarrior 7y ago
I wonder if a second go at central planning in the future using networks, machine learning and smartphones+ sensors could end up performing much better than similar attempts in the past.
One of the chief critiques of central planning has been its inability to adapt to constantly changing conditions and its lack of information about individual preferences.
Amazon is already a centrally planned algorithmic system for delivering goods to people. Data collection is used to personalize someone’s experience in a way that wasn’t possible before. The feedback loops are extremely quick in terms of the ability to do constant A/B tests.
Perhaps USSR 2.0 might have its own amazon app for citizens that would collect preferences for what they want in real time and automatically feed it all through the economy. While also allowing to correct for certain things which the market might not be able to so easily as for eg medicine for poor people is more important than fidget spinners.
You might also be able to experiment with different algorithms to see which of them lead to more growth and productivity.
After a few years you might have enough data to do predictive analytics to improve things ahead of time.
It would never take off because of its totalitarian implications but we might get to witness a real world test of this idea in China in the coming years. Life in China is already quite convenient in ways not possible in the west.
- jacques_chester 7y agoAmazon is solving a teeny, tiny sliver of the total problem. The total structure of production is incalculably vaster than the consumer end market. Summarising a complex history, the USSR did have folks who argued for a cybernetic approach to production planning, but it was never tried. An entertaining semi-fictionalised account is Red Plenty. A drastically less entertaining but more scholarly read is Newspeak to Cyberspeak.
- thewarrior 7y agoYeah but the didnt have the tech of today right ?
- cr0sh 7y ago> Summarising a complex history, the USSR did have folks who argued for a cybernetic approach to production planning, but it was never tried. Not in the USSR - but there was an attempt elsewhere: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Cybersyn https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Cybersyn
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]
- jevgeni 7y agoAlthough central planning is a formidable problem, a WAY more formidable one is the incentives of the central planners.
- nnq 7y agoBingo! That's why communism or centralized socialism can't work with humans at the top. And the alternatives with AIs at the top would either not be a world worth living in... or would soon end up not having much use for humans :| Hope China or anyone else doesn't seriously try running this experiment. Hope someone explains to power hungry rulers that they won't end up ruling or having any power over anything if they succeed in building such monstrous systems...