To be utterly despondent about AI

[AnotherGreyMorning]

and our future?

Jobs becoming obsolete. People unable to earn a living.

Villains harnessing for their own ends.

It will all move far too fast and at sophisticated levels for even the most dedicated to manage.

Governments will be stunned by it. People will really suffer.

I just feel quiet dread because whilst life will be great for the wealthy and those who are protected, for the vast majority, I think it will be hellish.

The other side of that is that AI could also make it easier for people to do high value work by freeing them from the most mundane tasks and genuinely increase productivity (AI can also decrease productivity if it free your boss to bombard you with 50 emails a day about nonsense instead of 5). It's about how it's used
And why it's really important to keep the tech billionaires sweaty fingers away from the levers of government as rules brought in about how.intellectual copywrite is protected, how work is valued and compensated are going to really matter.

No I don't want to resist change either. Not at all.

But it's really hard to know where and how to change. And the speed.

It's like compounding. I think the AI will develop to super general intelligence very quickly indeed.

Adapting may just be so very tricky because of this developmental speed alone.

I think governments, slow to adapt, will be unable to protect the most vulnerable.

The op is right to be concerned. Anyone saying it’s the same as other technology and changes in our lifetime, it really isn’t, it’s not apples with apples. If you’re dismissing it as the same as when microwaves came in to family homes, we got used to that, didn’t we attitude, you’re being very naive.
You won’t be left behind if you catastrophise about it, because you’ll be left behind even if you embrace it 🤷‍♀️ What we have to adapt to is the change and impact on our society, not actually embracing and using some form of AI in our day to day lives, as it’s inevitable for any of us who still have a job. How much you allow to be part of your family life will still be up to you.

My gut feeling (for what it's worth) is that there won't be mass redundancies, even if AI does replace humans. True, those with money generally don't care about the rest of us, but they also know it's unwise to simply lay off two-thirds of the work force. Even the richest still have to live in society. And the last thing they want is mass unrest. If a business is struggling, the owners will sack people without hesitation. But if AI boosts profits, there won't be much incentive to sack them – not en mass. It will be better to retain their employees even if there isn't much for them to do. That way they can keep things ticking over while they enjoy ever bigger profits.

There were. But lots of jobs were lost or became much more alienating. So at one point Weavers worked from home and it was actually comparitively well paid and involved the whole family in different roles. They were artisans. Working class but dignified. When it was automated and moved.into factories the work was considered unskilled and extremely poorly paid. Women and children worked for the least pay in extremely unhealthy and dangerous conditions. Housing also became slums. In the long term, the industrial revolution brought us all sorts of nice things. But it made many people's lives much worse.

But capitalism is what will hamper AI as well. If all jobs go, who will buy the products AI is producing? Corporations need the population to have money, they can’t withstand high unemployment.

AI can only keep getting better and better, it has to because there’s so much money involved.

I too am worried about what’s coming. Ultimately your employer won’t care AI isn’t quite as efficient as you (yet), the employer only cares that the AI is much cheaper than you.

You’re so right @AnotherGreyMorning
jobs around transcription, translation, copy , graphic design are especially impacted

have to say though little things have changed so much though, I had to make a little artistic picture and Copilot did it for me in 1 min!!

either way if you can’t beat them, join them! Lots of opportunities to use AI to your advantage

Those with money don't want unrest directed towards themselves no. But history shows there is always a scape goat (the EU, asylum seekers, legal immigrants, women in the workforce, old people, young people) to direct the blame towards. So I don't think they are afraid of the consequences of mass unemployment.

I think a lot of the promises of AI won't come to anything. It will also probably bring benefits/changes noone has thought of yet. But in the meantime there is a cash grab going on by the worst in society.

I don't think people have realised the extent of job losses as AI progresses.

There is a lot of hype - but did see US graduate level unempolyment rates and they're higher than rest of economy - and AI being blamed. A few in comments said it was companies cutting back due to economy - but others agreed AI was taking entry level poistions.

It's so short sighted though as if you don't get talent in at entry level - there comes a point existing entry level people move on and up - and people who tried to get in will have moved on to other things and it will be considered a poor bet by generation under - so that's going to have an impact.

I'd say there were several sectors already suffering from a lack of talent - because it's so hard to get in so pool of who mange to get in come from same small group with contacts and output eventually suffers.

I’m looking forward to a future where everything will be taken over by A1, making all our jobs obsolete, and we can then all go on benefits and not have to work at all. Ever. That will be true equality. Not sure of how benefits will be sourced if no tax, but we’ll figure that out when it happens…..

There would have to be some major changes to welfare in the UK e.g. mortgage payers eligible to housing benefit.

At the moment it’s the Wild West while we’re in flux. Hopefully it will eventually get sorted out and as long as we start to implement a UBI (universal basic income) we can thrive.

That makes no sense whatsoever.How can AI run a warehouse?

My dc did homework this morning, their school use an AI reader and the pupils homework is set on AI generated stories😣… just like when washing machines came in, right?

I can't help but see AI as the death of creativity. When you can create 'art' with AI and write 'books' with AI (none of which will give any new insights into the human condition - how can it, when AI doesn't know what it IS to be human?) why would you pay an artist to paint a picture of bees in an apple tree? Or an author to write a book about how it feels to live with a disability? You can get AI to do it - it might well be wrong, but you won't have to pay someone for it.

I just use it for multi question tasks such as travel itineraries, how to use public transport, train times, and so on. For me it's an overview of things where I want to go.

I don't use it for work (retired) or for much really, although I suppose that will happen sooner or later. I am more afraid of robots taking the place of humans TBH, although that might be ok if I need an inanimate object to wipe my bum when I get very old and can't do it myself 😊

I watched a shopping robot trying to cross the road yesterday. We’re ok for a few decades I reckon

That's the theory, but technology is making us dumber, not smarter

@AnotherGreyMorning totally agree with you and the only thing that makes me feel better about never having kids is the fact that I don’t have to worry about leaving them in a world dominated by AI.

PP saying people are worrying for nothing and that’s what is said about every landmark innovation like the internet are revealing themselves as really not familiar with the subject and what’s going on right now - as well as how insidious AI is. If people did I think there would be a lot more threads here about it.

Eg the jobs issue is way more serious than people think, creative industries are already heavily impacted, also coding, accountancy and even in the clerical field, think tanks reckon 30% routine admin jobs (eg data entry, form processing, elements of HR) will soon be disappearing. And yes there are arguments to be made about freeing more complex jobs up with the aid of AI but at what cost? Many people don’t realise how enmeshed AI already is in controlling parts of military warfare with many ethical Qs about the programming of AI already in dispute. Much of this is behind closed doors and it’s quite fascinating and extremely concerning tbh. So again, those who aren’t so worried are just sleep walking into a pending virtual dystopia.

People aren't that concerned because they really don't understand what is coming. Goodbye office personnel, accountants, lawyers, engineers, stock market traders, independent financial advisers, banking employees, call centre workers, and to a large extent, doctors and medical staff. Shortly followed by lorry drivers and delivery staff, once self driving vehicles become the norm, and factory workers once robots are widespread and can work 24/7 without a break. And I've probably left out half of it.

Recent survey found that entry level jobs are down 30% since Chat GPT launch: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/jobs-chatgpt-ai-automation-adzuna-b2779656.html

I agree we should be very concerned about the impact. The ladder is being removed for many graduate and entry level jobs in fields such as design, advertising, HR, marketing, accountancy, IT and finance. IBM for example is aggressively reducing workforce in areas of routine work that AI can replace. They claim to be redirecting resources to roles requiring human creativity such as sales, people management and strategy. I have watched graduate unemployment rise year on year.

I mean if low level entry jobs in accounting and law are already being done by AI, where will graduates find work to start their careers? And if they can't start their careers, how will they sit rent in cities like London?

The knock on is huge. And that's just the start.

Also military. What's to stop ultra wealthy villains having their own high tech armies for the sake of power. National governments could become obsolete because they are powerless.

I don't think people will be left to live on benefits because there are no jobs. I think people will be left high and dry.

Huge social change and upheaval. I think the human society, economies and the world order as we have known it for decades and even centuries, is about to be completely upended. And very soon. And we will be all left slack jawed and completely lost.

We will have to sever the connection between work and income, or otherwise society will quickly break down. But that is not going to be easy.