In Dr. Jay Richards’ talk about his book The Human Advantage: The Future of American Work in an Age of Smart Machines, the author begins by giving a brief overview of the book. It is essentially split into two parts. One scenario in a dystopian society where automation and artificial intelligence have overtaken approximately half of all jobs. Since people rely on jobs, not only as a means of income but as a purpose in their lives, the dystopian society becomes incredibly depressed. The other scenario is a utopian society where, again, smart machines have outsourced half of all jobs, but people have more time to enjoy life and have fun rather than work.
I would personally get tired of this utopian society after a week or two. I love enjoying the good times as much as the next person, but the beauty of life is the balance of struggle and fun. Fun just isn’t as enjoyable if you don’t have a contrast of working. That slice of cake waiting for you at home just tastes better after you’ve been away at work all day.
Dr. Richards uses WALL-E as an example of what may result if we completely automate every aspect of our lives. I like how WALL-E shows us a possible reality of our future if we continue down the path of automation and smart machining; however, I do not believe that humanity will ever reach that point. We will always have people who want a life independent of automation, myself included. For example, you don’t get to enjoy cooking your own meal if a robot gets to do it for you. The food also does not taste as amazing if you don’t spend the effort to research the recipe, prepare the ingredients, and properly execute the cooking process. You’ll find that happiness and enjoyment truly comes from the journey and not the ending.
I also believe that due to human creativity, we will not reach the WALL-E dystopia. How creative can robots and AI get? Can their creativity compare with the human mind? I believe that arts, films, entertainment, and culture as a whole will always be driven by human creativity. The humans in WALL-E sat in their chairs watching TV all day. Well, who created the entertainment on their screens? I suppose AI did, but I would much rather enjoy entertainment and culture from humans over what an AI came up with.