4 ms·

You're next. Enjoy the breadline. This is a harbinger for a world where skilled workers can be replaced by amoral, skilled automatons.This isn't analogous to t

You're next. Enjoy the breadline. This is a harbinger for a world where skilled workers can be replaced by amoral, skilled automatons.This isn't analogous to the cotton gin. Our world is getting turned upside down and the ownership class will be comfortable while domestic decay creeps over the rest of the country. It's a class war, and you're not Warren Buffet. Tax the rich, redistribute the wealth.

cyberax 2y ago
> This is a harbinger for a world where skilled workers can be replaced by amoral, skilled automatons. And?
- snapcaster 2y ago
  And we don't have any of the cultural, societal or economic infrastructure in place to ensure that it results in anything besides the top 0.01% capturing an increasing share of wealth. This will have horribly destabilizing effects on society and result in either violent revolution or a repressive dystopia depending on who wins
  - t-3 2y ago
    Violent revolution and regressive dystopia seem to be necessary impetuses (impeti?) for social progress throughout history. It would be nice if we could avoid them, but will that really be possible when there are so many vested interests supporting the status quo? It's hard to pull roots without disturbing the soil.
  - cyberax 2y ago
    That's because we're pretty far from that utopia where everything is replaced with automation.
kortilla 2y ago
> You're next. Enjoy the breadline. This isn’t any different than stable boys demanding auto sales be banned. Get a different job. Progress has replaced stupid and/or repetitive work forever.
- unethical_ban 2y ago
  It is, because the scale and scope of the replacement is larger than previous iterations. It isnt a single automated task. It's arts, it's programming, medicine, teaching, driving, advertising.
  - kortilla 2y ago
    But none of those things have been successfully automated at scale. Waymo has been at it for how many years and still isn’t in more than a handful of metros. The scale of the FUD is large, but so far the impact has been very minor.
- iamacyborg 2y ago
  Repetitive work like writing code?
  - Der_Einzige 2y ago
    [flagged]
  - kortilla 2y ago
    Yes, you’re going to quickly realize that the current tools only spit out boilerplate or require so much prompting and interaction that you need to be a software engineer anyway. I’m 100% for automation of actual coding. I don’t see it happening any time soon though
- johnnyanmac 2y ago
  in the days where, as the boomers say, you could "walk in and give a firm handshake" to switch careers, it makes sense. In this hellscape of "automated recuiting", ghost jobs, degree requirements (of which school is also a 6 figure investment), and a minimum wage far below a miniumum wage? Yeah, no. Easier to fight. I can at least get some damage done even if losing is inevitable. I won't just sit quietly and accept what corporations want.
al_borland 2y ago
> Tax the rich, redistribute the wealth. Most lottery winners end up broke, and in a worse place than where they started. How would this be any different? Behaviors have to change. Throwing money at people won’t change their behaviors. They also won’t be very careful with how they spend/save free money. Didn’t we see this play out during the pandemic stimulus? People got free money and spent it immediately, and then some. Stock prices went up for these companies with the healthy sales, making the rich richer, and the people went into more debt, because they spent more than they got. I’m sure there are exceptions, but that seemed to be the overall trend. It seems the incentives need to change for companies, where the stock price or profit isn’t the only bottom line they need to care about. Where pulling the levers of increased wages or lower prices, at the expense of raw profits, help this new bottom line. Leaving everyone without money is ultimately bad for business, because there is no one to sell to. The credit card industry is the only reason companies have gotten away with it so far, but I have to image that house will eventually collapse under its own weight.
- throwawayqqq11 2y ago
  Wealth redistribution is not gifted money in lottery quantities. Tax income can be spent on affordable housing and any other public service. We need regulation to give the egoists boundaries and wealth redistribution to lower capital income and foster labour income. Changing incentives is hard.
- citizenpaul 2y ago
  > Most lottery winners end up broke, and in a worse place than where they started. Sorry but you've been had. This is anti poor propaganda and is 100% false. The overwhelming majority of lottery winners at much better off 10 years after winning. Most people don't go on a crazy endless bender when money comes to them but cause most people are normal.
roflulz 2y ago
labor is being abused by the capitalists - isn't it perfect that labor can be replaced by robots instead of being abused by the capitalists?
- briffle 2y ago
  Wait till the capitalists all get replaced with a tuned AI, then imagine the profits!
Der_Einzige 2y ago
No, but people here can and will be the next Steve Wozniak, and that's good for society. Folks with lots of constructive (i.e. the opposite of critical) thinking tend to be extremely economically productive, and tend to earn a lot. Luddites will be left in the dustbin of history where they belong. We don't mourn after the dead horse-back carriage and telegraph unions, and we shouldn't mourn for a dead longshoreman union.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]

cyberax 2y ago

> This is a harbinger for a world where skilled workers can be replaced by amoral, skilled automatons. And?

snapcaster 2y ago
And we don't have any of the cultural, societal or economic infrastructure in place to ensure that it results in anything besides the top 0.01% capturing an increasing share of wealth. This will have horribly destabilizing effects on society and result in either violent revolution or a repressive dystopia depending on who wins
- t-3 2y ago
  Violent revolution and regressive dystopia seem to be necessary impetuses (impeti?) for social progress throughout history. It would be nice if we could avoid them, but will that really be possible when there are so many vested interests supporting the status quo? It's hard to pull roots without disturbing the soil.
- cyberax 2y ago
  That's because we're pretty far from that utopia where everything is replaced with automation.

kortilla 2y ago

> You're next. Enjoy the breadline. This isn’t any different than stable boys demanding auto sales be banned. Get a different job. Progress has replaced stupid and/or repetitive work forever.

unethical_ban 2y ago
It is, because the scale and scope of the replacement is larger than previous iterations. It isnt a single automated task. It's arts, it's programming, medicine, teaching, driving, advertising.
- kortilla 2y ago
  But none of those things have been successfully automated at scale. Waymo has been at it for how many years and still isn’t in more than a handful of metros. The scale of the FUD is large, but so far the impact has been very minor.
iamacyborg 2y ago
Repetitive work like writing code?
- Der_Einzige 2y ago
  [flagged]
- kortilla 2y ago
  Yes, you’re going to quickly realize that the current tools only spit out boilerplate or require so much prompting and interaction that you need to be a software engineer anyway. I’m 100% for automation of actual coding. I don’t see it happening any time soon though
johnnyanmac 2y ago
in the days where, as the boomers say, you could "walk in and give a firm handshake" to switch careers, it makes sense. In this hellscape of "automated recuiting", ghost jobs, degree requirements (of which school is also a 6 figure investment), and a minimum wage far below a miniumum wage? Yeah, no. Easier to fight. I can at least get some damage done even if losing is inevitable. I won't just sit quietly and accept what corporations want.

al_borland 2y ago

> Tax the rich, redistribute the wealth. Most lottery winners end up broke, and in a worse place than where they started. How would this be any different? Behaviors have to change. Throwing money at people won’t change their behaviors. They also won’t be very careful with how they spend/save free money. Didn’t we see this play out during the pandemic stimulus? People got free money and spent it immediately, and then some. Stock prices went up for these companies with the healthy sales, making the rich richer, and the people went into more debt, because they spent more than they got. I’m sure there are exceptions, but that seemed to be the overall trend. It seems the incentives need to change for companies, where the stock price or profit isn’t the only bottom line they need to care about. Where pulling the levers of increased wages or lower prices, at the expense of raw profits, help this new bottom line. Leaving everyone without money is ultimately bad for business, because there is no one to sell to. The credit card industry is the only reason companies have gotten away with it so far, but I have to image that house will eventually collapse under its own weight.

throwawayqqq11 2y ago
Wealth redistribution is not gifted money in lottery quantities. Tax income can be spent on affordable housing and any other public service. We need regulation to give the egoists boundaries and wealth redistribution to lower capital income and foster labour income. Changing incentives is hard.
citizenpaul 2y ago
> Most lottery winners end up broke, and in a worse place than where they started. Sorry but you've been had. This is anti poor propaganda and is 100% false. The overwhelming majority of lottery winners at much better off 10 years after winning. Most people don't go on a crazy endless bender when money comes to them but cause most people are normal.

roflulz 2y ago

labor is being abused by the capitalists - isn't it perfect that labor can be replaced by robots instead of being abused by the capitalists?

briffle 2y ago
Wait till the capitalists all get replaced with a tuned AI, then imagine the profits!

Der_Einzige 2y ago

No, but people here can and will be the next Steve Wozniak, and that's good for society. Folks with lots of constructive (i.e. the opposite of critical) thinking tend to be extremely economically productive, and tend to earn a lot. Luddites will be left in the dustbin of history where they belong. We don't mourn after the dead horse-back carriage and telegraph unions, and we shouldn't mourn for a dead longshoreman union.

deleted 2y ago
[deleted]