When AI and automation gets mentioned in the media there is always a sense of disaster around it. "What if AI takes over the world?", "What if it makes our jobs redundant?", "What if robots become just as human as human beings?"
Popular TV-shows like Black Mirror don’t let any opportunity go by to tackle any tackle any evolution that could have an impact on our world. Positive or negative. Although I’m a huge fan of this show myself you cant deny that mankind seems to feel the urge to be very sceptical towards the impact of technological innovation. Have you ever seen a series, movie or read a book that describes a utopia created by technological innovation? Probably not.
Drama, danger and obstacles that need to be overcome are all conditions that need to be fulfilled to write a compelling story. Not a single person on this earth will ever want to read a book about a perfect world. Sadly stories are, ask any salesman, a great way to influence peoples opinion. People aren’t easily persuaded by dry fact. You need to tell them stories of heroism and bravery. In my opinion this has led us to become more sceptical and cynical towards the future. Instead of embracing it we fear it, blind for all the great things and opportunity’s that could overcome us.
When we observe history, the world and human action there is one thing those of wealth always had in common. That is the power to make others do things for them they don’t want to do theirselfes. Slavery, labour immigration, relocating to low wage country’s all comes down to one and the same principle: those of wealth finding people that have no other choice than to provide labour for a price the rich can easily afford.
In the past this was done by slavery but since a century or two this process has been automated by natural economical mechanisms. Huge enterprises relocate to low wage country’s with less regards for human rights so they can find laborours willing to work on their conditions. Wealthy nations accept lowly qualified immigrants within their borders so they can do shitty jobs keeping the wages down.
Wouldn’t it be better for mankind to let the most physically demanding low wage jobs be done by non-sentient beings? Isn’t it time to stop focussing on job creation but on quality of life? In the end wealth doesn’t come from job creation but from production efficiency and efficient allocation of resources. The unfair allocation of resources, making the rich richer and the poor poorer seems the real problem to me. Technological progress is not more but a tool that could be used to increase inequality. I however think it will free mankind of demeaning jobs and the hardships that comes with it. finally due to AI everything can become way cheaper. A part of our labour source might become redundant but living wages could resolve this probleme. These living wages could easily be funded by the production surplus generated by AI. Just as always new technology won't be the problem but the way we deal with it.