In my last article about the Digital Revolution I talked about how artificial intelligence and robotics will turn our world upside down in a few years' time.
I also mentioned a study by the University of Oxford, which assumes that about half of all workplaces can be replaced by robots in 25 years' time. I'll link the study here again. I would like to pick up on that point today.
A massive division of our society is looming!
In my view, it is clear that if we do not actively oppose it, there will be a blatant division of society. It is simply no longer possible and no longer necessary for all people to do regular work.
Robots will be able to make many jobs more efficient and effective than we can do ourselves. For instance Why should there be taxi drivers, when there are autonomous driving cars that take you anywhere you want to go. Also many clerks will be replaced. Large parts of the insurance and banking industry can be extremely well automated.
You shouldn't fall into the trap and think that only "simple" jobs will be affected by this change. For example, it will also require far fewer lawyers than before. IBM Watson is already able to find answers to complicated legal questions within seconds!
At the moment, I see no alternative but to introduce an unconditional basic income. This is a broad topic and I will talk about this in a separate article.
Man is what he does?!
We all grew up with the belief that work itself, is the actually important thing for us humans. We were raised rather as human doings than human beings.
A person has to perform and indulge into the meritocracy. People who do not do so are lousy parasites who live at the expense of the average taxpayer.
With the ongoing digitization, this situation changes abruptly. We will then no longer live at the expense of other people, but at the expense of robots. Machines we invented ourselves.
That was supposed to mean that we wouldn't have to do anything out of a performance pressure, right? We no longer work to keep our heads above water and pay the bills at the end of the month. We will work because it's fun.
This means that we start playing again and stop working.
Playing is always about the process, about playing itself. Whereas while working, the process is only necessary to finally reach the goal. In today's world, you can usually equate goal with money.
The problem with the whole story is that many people are so accustomed to their work and the whole "daily working life" that they cannot imagine any other world. The current development, however, goes directly in the direction of the "other world", there is nothing to shake. No one can say what this "other world" will look like. Politicians should also support this debate.
I did not follow the election campaign in Germany very carefully, but as far as I know, issues such as digitalisation and the changes it entailed were hardly touched upon, if at all. I don't want to start with politics in Switzerland at all^^.
Tell me if you heard politicians in your country already taking about the digital revolution and the ongoing changes!