To not be concerned that technology will destroy jobs...

[coconuttella]

It seems to be in vogue to predict that swathes of the workforce will soon be replaced by technology, leaving an army of jobless... However, hasn't technology been doing this for at least 200 years, going way back to the Luddites?.... with people re-training into jobs that are generally more productive and less repetitive and less manual. Why do we people feel it is different this time?

I agree with SquishySquirmy Mon 03-Jul-17 12:16:25:

"Depends how its handled, and how the wealth generated is distributed etc, I see two directions it could take us in: (etc)"

Unfortunately, I am terrified that the world seems to be going in the wrong direction in so many ways .

It certainly is. Basically we have a surplus of labour that is not wanted. Technology is taking jobs now, as BertieBotts said, in a way it has not done so in the past - robots are effectively a reality and they do not need as much human oversight. The whole point about improving technology is to improve 'efficiency', i.e. remove humans from the process. We have 2 choices in response. Either we can carry on with this path we are collectively on right now, i.e. a mad scramble for the few lifeboats that remain, the number of which will decrease in the future, and the devil take the hindmost: or we can look to redistribute all social resources, food, housing and what jobs there are left, in a more equal manner.

Those saying 'how will we afford it' have got it wrong - we're not short of resources, it's our modern massive capacity to over-produce without labour that's the issue, along with the control of most resources by a few.

I think driverless vehicle technology will be the crunch. Think how many jobs involve driving in some capacity - starting with food production itself - and all those jobs gone.

What will humans do all day?

Have pointless arguments with strangers on Internet forums and laugh at cat memes.

There's robots doing that already!

This quote seems apt "The City will be run by just a man and a dog. The dog is there to stop the man from touching the computers. The man is there to feed the Dog. Disclaimer I am not a bot despite my user name!

Except that if there's a machine that can make the dog food, then there's surely one that can feed the dog, so the human's still redundant.

And the machines just carry on reproducing...

Basically we have a surplus of labour that is not wanted.

There may be a surplus of those without suitable skills, but there are significant skill shortages throughout our economy. The problem is that too many are unskilled and feel the world owes them a living.

I feel pretty sure that eventually technology will be able to do all jobs. The questions for me are

a) will that happen in 20 years, 200 years or 500 years

b) what will the transition be like, how will it all be managed in terms of bigger and bigger swathes of jobs gradually being replaced

c) will we as a human race then become immortal creatures living in a paradisiacal world, be killed off by the machines and made extinct, or something else...

Here's a mad idea for you, by the time the robots are doing a lot of the jobs, by rights most people should at least be able to work part time and have more leisure time, why doesn't that happen even now with today's technology. All the profit and advantages don't get spread about, it just stays centred on the very few people at the top. Shame.

Who will buy the goods and services that AI produce if nobody has a job? Or will they just be selling them to other AI?!

We could spend the days meditating, expanding our minds and developing our third eye. I'm not joking either.

Just wait till we have robot soldiers and drones - completely autonomous....

I am sure it's doable.

Polarbearflavour: The robots won't be making money for themselves. The owner of the technology (or the child/grandchild who inherits from them) will get the money.
We could be looking at a future where the rich become incredibly rich, the poor/middle classes become unemployed. There will always be some jobs left for humans, even if they are low skilled ones, but with an excess of workers willing and able to do those jobs, they are unlikely to be well paid, or come with good working conditions/rights.

"Just wait till we have robot soldiers and drones - completely autonomous...."

...Or weaponised nanobots!

Or weaponised nanobots

Now that was in Star Trek.

We could be looking at a future where the rich become incredibly rich, the poor/middle classes become unemployed

Protected by their AI guards?

Would the haves even need to come into that much contact with the have-nots in the most dystopian version of this automised future?
I suppose it depends what is meant by "guard". It doesn't have to be a traditional image of a robot - a "smart fence" capable of recognising those with permission to cross, and stop (even electrocute) any one else would be a sort of AI guard, wouldn't it?

When automisation is discussed, the first image that comes into my head is a humanoid robot doing the work, but in reality I suppose they wont look like that. Anymore than if you told someone in the 60s we would have robot check-out assistants, they would probably have imagined something quite different to the noisy bagging area pedants we enjoy today.