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Notably not part of the review: the economic impact from hundreds of thousands of drivers becoming unemployed. In fact, no mention at all of the wider political

by bonaldi 12y ago

Notably not part of the review: the economic impact from hundreds of thousands of drivers becoming unemployed. In fact, no mention at all of the wider political landscape in this review. It's one thing having the technology in place - and we're some way away from having something that can manage London - it's another thing entirely getting it deployed. Driverless trains have been a technical reality for decades; the Tube still has drivers (and "captains").

Lambdanaut 12y ago
I see it as us being in the early stages of a greater phenomenon of eventual complete global automation. Capitalism traditionally requires both entrepreneurs and workers to exist. What happens when we don't need the workers anymore? There'll be nobody with resources to afford the entrepreneur's products. We're heading into a strange political and social realm not too unlike the beginnings of Soviet Russia, except this time the causal factors aren't transient; technology is here to stay. It seems to me like the 1% is going to keep growing and growing until it pops under the weight of its own automation. From there it seems likely governments will assimilate company's resources and distribute them more-or-less equally. Its not something to worry about for a few decades, but automation is speeding up. Many of us will grow to old age in a very different world.
Veus 12y ago
The Tube (TFL) are trying to introduce driverless trains. Its the unions that are stopping them. I'm sure if TFL could get rid of all drivers tomorrow and replace them with driverless trains they would. The thing that will hold up real deployment of this will be unions rather than the technology.
- dominicgs 12y ago
  Aren't the Central, Jubilee and Victoria lines all using ATO already? They carry drivers for doors, emergencies, etc but I thought that the movement of the train was automated.

by bonaldi 12y ago

Lambdanaut 12y ago

I see it as us being in the early stages of a greater phenomenon of eventual complete global automation. Capitalism traditionally requires both entrepreneurs and workers to exist. What happens when we don't need the workers anymore? There'll be nobody with resources to afford the entrepreneur's products. We're heading into a strange political and social realm not too unlike the beginnings of Soviet Russia, except this time the causal factors aren't transient; technology is here to stay. It seems to me like the 1% is going to keep growing and growing until it pops under the weight of its own automation. From there it seems likely governments will assimilate company's resources and distribute them more-or-less equally. Its not something to worry about for a few decades, but automation is speeding up. Many of us will grow to old age in a very different world.

Veus 12y ago

The Tube (TFL) are trying to introduce driverless trains. Its the unions that are stopping them. I'm sure if TFL could get rid of all drivers tomorrow and replace them with driverless trains they would. The thing that will hold up real deployment of this will be unions rather than the technology.

dominicgs 12y ago
Aren't the Central, Jubilee and Victoria lines all using ATO already? They carry drivers for doors, emergencies, etc but I thought that the movement of the train was automated.