Throughout human history we have used technology to develop ourselves. We have come from a situation where everybody was growing their own limited food sources to our current situation where a small group provides almost unlimited food choices for everybody else.
We have always developed tools to replace human labour, allowing us to do more work with less people. And this is a good thing, it has allowed us to further specialize and innovate, which has given us new products and with that new types of labour.
Of course with every new development there were initially people losing their jobs, but history has shown us that new technology always wins. People were protesting against the steam engine, the type writer, the computer and most recently robotics, but in all cases the new technology prevailed.
Right now we are on the verge of implementing technology that will replace such a large part of the work force, that it is unlikely that there will be enough new jobs created for everybody that’s going to be replaced.
More than 50% of the existing jobs can already be done better and cheaper by machines. Some are obvious like jobs in transport, construction and warehousing. But also writers and doctors can be replaced by new technology in the near future.
Meet Doctor Bot:
Optimist say that this will free us to become creative and that we are in for an era were new Mozart’s and Picasso’s will pop up left and right. And this is partially true, we will have the time and tools that allow us to express ourselves. The problem is that most people simply are not made of Mozart material and that all that alleged creativity will yield mediocre results for the most part.
This does not have to be a problem, most people already spend a large part of their life on Facebook sharing shallow, day to day experiences with the people they know. They just don’t get paid for doing so. If only there was a way to add value to those activities, all problems would be solved.
He wait a minute………
We are living in exciting times people.