Reading these articles regarding automation is interesting. On the one hand, I want to applaud the strides that the tech community is making in automation and robots doing jobs people typically do because it's really cool; on the other hand, I worry about what this means for our future and what sort of jobs will disappear and what will be created in its place. Though people have been making arguments that technological innovation is a constant throughout recent history that actually creates jobs in the end, I don't know how much I believe that this trend will continue the more we replace people with robots. (I also get weary about the whole idea in general because I've watched every episode of Black Mirror and know tech is hackable.)
Anyway, you're asking a lot when you're wondering about the political, social, and economic implications of replacing human labor with automation on a massive scale. I'm no political/social activist, nor am I an economist, but my gut tells me that the impact is going to be pretty significant, but it may be for the better, or it could be for the worst. I don't think the Luddites were right about technology; to an extent, maybe I agree that technology shouldn't be pervasive through all industries because there are some places where I just want a human to help me out. For example, I'd rather deal with a human doctor than some robot. Robots are way too unemotional (since obviously they are without emotion) and having them deal with personal issues is an uncomfortable idea (at least to me). However, while I believe automation should continue to be advanced and developed, I don't think it should just steamroll over industries and remove people from jobs without thinking of the consequences. I already know the effects of unemployment today. To have a massive displacement of jobs, I think, would be crippling to the US morale and put people in a hard place. To alleviate this stress and pain, something needs to be done before automation can just wipe out millions of jobs. As I said before, I'm not totally comfortable with AI taking over work normally performed by humans. I mean, a cashier is one thing (how many times do I have to repeat my order before the cashier hears it correctly?? Curse my quiet voice), but for them to replace nannies, doctors, therapists, dog sitters, or anything like that where the human connection and relationship is significant would be preposterous. I can't imagine having some robot rocking a baby to sleep. I wouldn't want something so precious to be in the "hands" of something like that. As for life-or-death decisions, perhaps a robot can tell me the statistics and tell me what my odds are for my survival, but hell if I'm gonna let it pull the plug on me when I can still feel myself kicking. I don't like not feeling in control of my life, and having a robot tell me whether or not I'm going to live bugs me out. UBI seems like a cool idea in theory, and I totally agree with Jim Pugh who said that the addition of Basic Income isn't going to make people stop working. Sometimes I think about why I'm even getting a fancy college degree and why I'm killing myself to find a job, but then I remember it's because I want to do cool things like travel and get a dog and spoil it like that's my job, but I can't do that if I don't make money. I also think I'd go nuts if I never had to work my brain. Like, hell yeah I love a day when I laze around and do nothing, but I can do that for maybe two days straight before I feel like I'm dying. So yeah, UBI isn't going to make people quit working; if it's something that can actually be implemented, I think it'd be dope. I hate how much our society relies on making and spending money. We can't get by without it. But if UBI were implemented, then maybe we wouldn't have to worry so much about it. I could see less crime (particularly stealing) because people don't have to worry about not being able to get their next meal (which of course doesn't cover people who steal because they want nice things rather than in a desperate situation, but I digress). Overall, I think automation is a good thing and I'm all for technological development and advancement. However, like Uncle Ben said, "With great power comes great responsibility", and I hope that we carefully consider the ramifications of an automated world.
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AuthorJulianna Yee. Archives
March 2018
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