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We've been wanting to do this where I'm at for a while. While I hate to put human beings out of work, they really do make too many mistakes for shipping things

We've been wanting to do this where I'm at for a while. While I hate to put human beings out of work, they really do make too many mistakes for shipping things perfectly.

ovi256 18y ago
> While I hate to put human beings out of work That's understandable, but think that these people will probably find more fulfilling and productive jobs. As long as the layoffs are gradual, they will have time to retrain and find other jobs. Of course, if their skillsets are really obsolete and many are laid off at once, this can lead to structural unemployment. Eastern European countries went through that after the fall of communism. The transition was not pretty. But smaller layoffs and career changes are just the cost of technical progress. Have a look at the Industrial revolution [1] and Luddites [2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Also, here's my first law : "Anything that can be automatized WILL be automatized, whatever the costs."
- ewiethoff 18y ago
  No, their debts will spiral and their ability to get any sort of loan for "retraining" will plummet, if they're in the U.S., that is. American households average something like $10,000 credit card debt these days. Unemployment compensation pays 2/3 or 3/4 what they had been earning. Hence their bills pile up and, with bad credit, they can't get "retraining." They're hosed.
- rw 18y ago
  > Also, here's my first law : "Anything that can be automatized WILL be automatized, whatever the costs." The point of automation is greater efficiency and efficacy, not some fetish with robots. Your "law" probably does not hold.
  - Raphael 18y ago
    It does hold, because humans aren't as specialized as a robot designed specifically for the job.
    - gravitycop 18y ago
      It does hold, because humans aren't as specialized as a robot That humans are not as specialized as specialized robots was not contested. What about the "whatever the costs" part?
  - eru 18y ago
    Try those: "... whatever the costs are now." or "... whatever the costs to society."
- rw 18y ago
  > But smaller layoffs and career changes are just the cost of technical progress. You assume that there are jobs to be had, that retraining is feasible, and that technological progress does not obsolete people as workers. Capitalism will not survive the intelligence singularity.
  - ovi256 18y ago
    I know these are a lot of assumptions, but they held up until now. Actually, the most important assumption is that technological progress does not obsolete people as workers. As manual workers, the time will surely come. As white collar, intellectual, or knowledge workers, I dare say never. There are simply too many difficulties.
    - rw 18y ago
      Never say never.
    - robotron 18y ago
      White collar workers can be programmed out of a job.
    - gravitycop 18y ago
      As white collar, intellectual, or knowledge workers, I dare say never [will they be obsoleted by technological progress]. There are simply too many difficulties. Development of AI will simply stop before it reaches knowledge-worker-class strength? Why would it stop? What do you think about Theodore Kaczynski's take on this?: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=435437 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=435437
- deleted 18y ago
  [deleted]

We've been wanting to do this where I'm at for a while. While I hate to put human beings out of work, they really do make too many mistakes for shipping things perfectly.

ovi256 18y ago

> While I hate to put human beings out of work That's understandable, but think that these people will probably find more fulfilling and productive jobs. As long as the layoffs are gradual, they will have time to retrain and find other jobs. Of course, if their skillsets are really obsolete and many are laid off at once, this can lead to structural unemployment. Eastern European countries went through that after the fall of communism. The transition was not pretty. But smaller layoffs and career changes are just the cost of technical progress. Have a look at the Industrial revolution [1] and Luddites [2]. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luddite Also, here's my first law : "Anything that can be automatized WILL be automatized, whatever the costs."

ewiethoff 18y ago
No, their debts will spiral and their ability to get any sort of loan for "retraining" will plummet, if they're in the U.S., that is. American households average something like $10,000 credit card debt these days. Unemployment compensation pays 2/3 or 3/4 what they had been earning. Hence their bills pile up and, with bad credit, they can't get "retraining." They're hosed.
rw 18y ago
> Also, here's my first law : "Anything that can be automatized WILL be automatized, whatever the costs." The point of automation is greater efficiency and efficacy, not some fetish with robots. Your "law" probably does not hold.
- Raphael 18y ago
  It does hold, because humans aren't as specialized as a robot designed specifically for the job.
  - gravitycop 18y ago
    It does hold, because humans aren't as specialized as a robot That humans are not as specialized as specialized robots was not contested. What about the "whatever the costs" part?
- eru 18y ago
  Try those: "... whatever the costs are now." or "... whatever the costs to society."
rw 18y ago
> But smaller layoffs and career changes are just the cost of technical progress. You assume that there are jobs to be had, that retraining is feasible, and that technological progress does not obsolete people as workers. Capitalism will not survive the intelligence singularity.
- ovi256 18y ago
  I know these are a lot of assumptions, but they held up until now. Actually, the most important assumption is that technological progress does not obsolete people as workers. As manual workers, the time will surely come. As white collar, intellectual, or knowledge workers, I dare say never. There are simply too many difficulties.
  - rw 18y ago
    Never say never.
  - robotron 18y ago
    White collar workers can be programmed out of a job.
  - gravitycop 18y ago
    As white collar, intellectual, or knowledge workers, I dare say never [will they be obsoleted by technological progress]. There are simply too many difficulties. Development of AI will simply stop before it reaches knowledge-worker-class strength? Why would it stop? What do you think about Theodore Kaczynski's take on this?: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=435437 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=435437
deleted 18y ago
[deleted]