This is the reasoning behind why many of the technology leaders favor universal basic income, at least according to Annie Lowrey.
journalist Annie Lowrey explained why the tech sector has started talking about this seriously: “They’re terrified” of the future they might create.
“They’re like, ‘This world will be better, but not if everybody is miserable,’” said Lowrey,
“They are like, ‘What is going to happen with AI is, you’re going to get this kind of flywheel-type effect where technologies are going to be self-improving, and so anything automated is all of a sudden going to be done by a machine,’” she added. “A lot of them point to trucks and taxis as being kind of like a first vanguard of this, but then they say, ‘Why not anything else? What if every shop you walk into has nobody in it because a robot is restocking? What if we need way fewer nurses and doctors because an AI-assisted system is just so much better at diagnosing and curing you?’”
This is a point we try to drive home in our posts. We at the Manna Project feel that the advancement of technology is going to be a problem for the job market. In addition to the billions who are already living in poverty, we fear there will be many more in the developed countries who are casualties of automation. Since the skills required for success in an automated economy are vastly different from those of today, we see many people having difficulty adjusting.
When will this point be embraced by the larger percentage of society? It is hard to tell but Lowrey does bring up a valid point.
“Let’s say that there’s a company — and maybe it’s one of the self-driving, Waymo or something — and Waymo, all of a sudden, is responsible for putting 30,000 people out of a job in one month,” she said. “I think at that point they are going to feel a lot of political pressure to say, ‘Here’s the stuff that we’re doing to not just help higher-income people scoot around San Francisco a little bit easier. Here’s what we’re doing.’”
Sadly, we have to agree with her. This situation will not get the attention it requires until it is too late. Politicians tend to reactionary which means they are going to be of little help. It is only after there is a massive shift in employment will it reach their radars.
The best time to approach an issue is before it happens. Technology is moving at a fast pace and, if Lowrey is correct, even the leaders in that field cannot predict the extent of what they are creating. As scary as it might be, the estimated job losses could be underestimated if the tech exceeds even what the brightest minds are envisioning.
Over the next couple years, we are going to be unveiling a number of different programs all designed to help offset the damage to people if this situation does occur. Our goal is to lift up those struggling in the third world nations while also providing a buffer for those who need help in the developed areas.
Poverty does not know any national boundaries.
To get your weekly distribution of manna, go to https://www.mannabase.com to sign up.
For more information about the Manna Project, go to https://www.peoplescurrency.org/
