22 replies to this topic

[rouncer]

anyone worried about this?

as far as i know, its possible now, so whats going to happen?

[Stainless]

It's been going on for years.

Sheffield now produces more steal than it ever did, but with the smallest work force they have ever used.

[rouncer]

wow! i never knew! so it wont cause a huge power shift, i was thinking everyone would be out of a job, why dont they put the pension up?!?!?

[touch_the_sky]

Yeah, it's been going on for years, visit some modern factory where they produce cars / car elements

Also, thanks to the growth of information technology, processors took over doing a lot of data work which would be normally assigned to people, etc.

Unless there is some legit 'latest news' I missed predicting some mega-dramatic change in the world happening like tomorrow?

[rouncer]

i guess its all to do with unemployment rate. (they are the people complaining) and the causes.

[fireside]

I think it's a good thing. If you've ever worked in a factory, you know about repetitive motion injuries. They can be crippling. It's time for society to advance beyond that kind of labor. I'm sure there will be turmoil for a while, but we'll work it out if the world lasts that long, like shorter work weeks,etc. Robots require repair, also, but it doesn't make up for the loss in labor. There are more informational jobs, like web type jobs, too. Unions fought against robotics in the 90's and it helped push so many jobs to China. Better to have fewer jobs, than no jobs. It's really the only way we can possibly compete against 3rd world labor rates.

[rouncer]

wouldnt want to work in a sweat shop, why dont we lend them some technology, and they can start supporting villages financially.

I just thought of something humorous... imagine a computer scientist and robotics expert moving over to 3rd world and being like mother teresa, giving them automation.

[fireside]

Most of them are working on robotics, also. No matter how cheap the labor, robotics is cheaper still. Sweat shops will go eventually. We had the same thing at the turn of the century. It's a step up from starving. I don't think Westerners understand real poverty. At first, I was against moving jobs overseas, but after I thought about it, I decided it was all right, even though I lost a pretty decent job because of it. Our plant reopened in Bulgaria at 1 dollar an hour labor rates. For them, that was a good job.

[rouncer]

that sounds insanely cruel, are there many suicides?

[fireside]

I don't know. Our plant closed, so I haven't heard what happened to them. The pay wasn't that high over here because it was a small factory in the country, but it was a lot better than that. Most of the suicides I hear about are from Foxcon in China. It's sad, but they've raised their salaries by 25 percent in the last few years, so things are getting better. I think they're up to something like the equivalent of 400 dollars a month. China is making large improvements, they just started in such dire poverty.

[Albertone]

Don't worry. Let Connor&Reese take care of the situation!

[tyree]

when I was a kid back in the atari days, it always struck me. how people were so prideful in doing laborious jobs. as if it could last. the mechanical age required a lot of labor. but it was obvious that was a time period, which progress would force us to move beyond. to a period where the majority of work is mental not physical.

when the first personal computer that was cheap and small enough to fit into a home came out. it stopped being a future event and continues to become the ever more present. I dont see how its possible to rewind back to doing labor unless we stop progressing and thats not going to happen

and lets be honest physical labor is a function of a primitve society. the less primitive it becomes, the less labor it is going to require

[Stainless]

The question is not "how many people will have no work", the real question for the future is "how will societies function with no taxes"

We get upset now when unemployment rates hit a few percent, what is going to happen when unemployment is in the 90% bracket.

[rouncer]

well time will tell. its kinda exciting i think, and worrying.

[Stainless]

I'm not that bothered, it's not going to be in my lifetime.

I've worked (and played) far too hard to reach a very old age, don't have any kids, so it's a moot point for me.

[geon]

The thing is, when physical work is 100% automated, society as a whole will be more efficient. That would suggest that everyone could have their living standards increased or the amount of work decreased. Could... The problem is that the one who owns the robots get all the money from their "work". Robots and manufacturing are very capital intensive (you need a lot of money to invest before you can hope to make a profit), so only the ones who are rich can own the robots and get even more rich. It creates a concentration of money.

I'm definitely no marxist, but I can't help thinking there must be a better way to handle a situation like that.

[TheNut]

geon, according to Skynet the solution is to exterminate the problem

Robotics in its current form is still manual and primitive, typically only solving a very specific problem. Problems that once they expire their monetization need to be reinvented. I think the real deal is in software, not hardware. Artificial intelligence is where the game is at. First chap to break that code will change everything. But it's also in our nature not to eliminate the basic needs of life, which yes, does including working. Living on an automated spaceship like in the movie Wall-E is not a possible future with our species. Maybe for some ultra lazies, but definitely not the majority.

Economic and political infrastructures will definitely have to evolve to accommodate this new evolution, but I don't think this will happen overnight. There will likely be research publications making such announcements followed by years of additional research. Or loosely translated, the need to keep the gravy train running as a retirement backup in case the AI fails. Even with its inception, it will likely be sandboxed for many many years while everyone figures out what to do with it, and only then slowly introducing it to society.

[touch_the_sky]

according to Skynet the solution is to exterminate the problem

Maybe Diego will one day become self-aware?
http://www.youtube.c...d&v=knRyDcnUc4U

[Stainless]

Oh man... that smile then a blast of gun fire ..... now that's horrific.

Smile ... "I'm sorry you have just lost your job" BLAMMMMMM.

[touch_the_sky]

I like the term they use - "emotionally relevant robotics"