6 ms·

Andrew Yang is a serious contender for the US presidency whose entire platform rests on assumptions about AI. He wants to fundamentally reshape welfare in the c

Andrew Yang is a serious contender for the US presidency whose entire platform rests on assumptions about AI. He wants to fundamentally reshape welfare in the country and implement an entirely new tax. Thinking clearly about AI is therefore very important, as it is having real and substantial political implications.

chrshawkes 7y ago
Luckily he won't be elected and shouldn't if he really thinks AI (in its current form) will solve these problems.
- jimbokun 7y ago
  He doesn't think it will solve them, he thinks it is going to cause them, and that we need to be ready with solutions. Take Universal Basic Income. He is predicting far more jobs are going to be automated in the near future than most people expect, and something like UBI will be needed to keep the people out of work from starving or rioting.
chillacy 7y ago
I remember him a year ago saying stuff that wasn't particularly mainstream, like warning about fast food cashiers being replaced by kiosks, malls closing due to competition with Amazon, call center workers being automated, etc. These are all things that are coming, I have peers working on some of them, but they aren't particularly mainstream, even though the most accessible jobs in the economy fall under those categories.
- ForHackernews 7y ago
  The thing is, technology to replace fast food cashiers or call center employees doesn't even have to be good, it just has to be really cheap. The companies making the decision to put those systems in place are not the end users who will be forced to interface with them. Human customers will be forced to modify their speech to be understood by mediocre telephone agent programs. So yes, Yang is right that automation is coming for millions of American jobs, and sooner than most people might think.

6 ms·

Andrew Yang is a serious contender for the US presidency whose entire platform rests on assumptions about AI. He wants to fundamentally reshape welfare in the c

by liamcardenas 7y ago

chrshawkes 7y ago
Luckily he won't be elected and shouldn't if he really thinks AI (in its current form) will solve these problems.
- jimbokun 7y ago
  He doesn't think it will solve them, he thinks it is going to cause them, and that we need to be ready with solutions. Take Universal Basic Income. He is predicting far more jobs are going to be automated in the near future than most people expect, and something like UBI will be needed to keep the people out of work from starving or rioting.
chillacy 7y ago
I remember him a year ago saying stuff that wasn't particularly mainstream, like warning about fast food cashiers being replaced by kiosks, malls closing due to competition with Amazon, call center workers being automated, etc. These are all things that are coming, I have peers working on some of them, but they aren't particularly mainstream, even though the most accessible jobs in the economy fall under those categories.
- ForHackernews 7y ago
  The thing is, technology to replace fast food cashiers or call center employees doesn't even have to be good, it just has to be really cheap. The companies making the decision to put those systems in place are not the end users who will be forced to interface with them. Human customers will be forced to modify their speech to be understood by mediocre telephone agent programs. So yes, Yang is right that automation is coming for millions of American jobs, and sooner than most people might think.