Danger of Automation
Since the Industrial age, fights have erupted around the steady replacement of low skill jobs to machines. The Luddites, as they were called, often stormed factories in order to destroy the new machinery that was, in essence replacing jobs. The replacement by machinery has not slowed down in recent years. It is getting worse...
The AI revolution.
We are still quite a ways of from a reliable AI that can replace the human in the workforce, but the steady rise in funding and development has put that eventuality well within the realms of possibility. Some of the most aggressive progress has been seen in the driverless car industry...
Notwithstanding the development in research AI, the danger that driverless cars bring is quite significant. The most common job among men in many Western cultures revolves around driving in some way or other. This puts a very large portion of the population in danger of losing jobs.
Technology is not all bad though and this gradual replacement of the workforce has spurred on human development. In order to adapt to the new world, these people that have lost jobs had no choice but to learn new skills...
Find your Marketplace.
Not all people are equally strong or intelligent so there will be those that lose hope. I believe, however, that every single person has the capability to fit into some slice of society. Disability is no longer the restriction it used to be because of technology.
Finding your slice might not be immediately possible or even easy, but with application of mind and determination, it is never impossible to learn new skills. The internet has put knowleddge at the fingertips of everyone who can figure out who can use it. The realms of possibility are endless because of the developments we have made as a humans.
Every time we push a technological boundary, the jobs and business landscape changes and new avenues open while others close. Carve out your territory in that new landscape... Perhaps Steemit is that opportunity you needed?
Steemit is a great opportunity for many young and new enterpreneurs. And you can learn so much here. As for AI, we are still ages before it happens...but when it happens, it will be interesting. Who knows, technology is so exciting.
I'm not so sure it will be ages before AI comes about we've made so much progress already. True AI may happen within 10 years, when it does, I feel as though that will be the single biggest event in human history. There are so many unknowns with AI, true AI can't be controlled, it will be it's own consciousness, there is an incredible amount of danger in that. But I suppose there are ways we can limit it's reach to at the very least control it's affect on everything around it. I am sure scientists that create it must realize the potential dangers of creating a consciousness that can very rapidly exceed that of human intelligence. There are many theories on the evolution of man leading to becoming one with AI. It's a brave new world and we are quickly approaching it.
That is why an AI that will replace a workforce is unlikely. Targeted AI is developing very well, but a true (in the sense of sentient freedom) AI is a long way off...
Developing your intellect is always a great thing but unfortunately, intelligence is a very difficult currency to spend.
Difficult to spend, but infinitely valuable nonetheless, especially in an ever more digital world...
Carving out your territory is imperative in this environment. No longer can one or even two low wage jobs earn enough to keep a household running. Steemit provides ample opportunity if you just reach out and grab it.
Sadly true.
the blockchain is a great feature of automation
Indeed. It is the territory claimed when the boundary shifted!
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i see. our fb page is in our profile. We are just rebuilding our website (when it is ready, i will publish it here. More information about us and where the money is going here: https://steemit.com/introduceyourself/@kedjom-keku/we-are-kedjom-keku-people-of-the-forest-join-us-to-save-misty-mountain-forest-in-cameroon Thank you.
Great post! People need to embrace change. Sure this technology will be disruptive. But it will also create new opportunities. Those that fight to hold on run the risk of being left behind.
Well said. Adapt or die in the very primitive sense...
Steemit ... I am just finding myself around this platform ... but your title hits home with me. My skillset is Cloud DevOps ... which means to some people in the IT industry the loss of jobs. It is my job to build cloud architecture and automate the deployment of applications. The funny thing is so many people in the IT industry is against it. They are scared that they will lose their jobs as automation ensures that we can just run a script that would take someone weeks to do. But my mindset it it opens up new jobs and new opportunities.
I agree totally with you AI is not far away ... With Blockchain, AI, Cloud Computing, 3D printing ... AI is already here ... In any event ... Great post ...
Fear is rational! No one wants to lose their jobs, but:
Fear is rational but it is also a waste of energy. If you are not investing in yourself and in your skills you should be just fined.
I was told years ago by my father nothing ever stays the same. Change is inevitable be it technology or be it jobs being offshored for cheaper labor.
The same fear that we think is rational is the same fear that sometimes hinders development.
Thanks for your post my friend ... :-)
But it is also that same fear that drives us to achieve even more...
Automation of nearly every human job is inevitable. I wrote an article about universal basic income, an idea that a lot of people are putting forward as the solution to unemployment created by automation. Please check it out: https://steemit.com/politics/@ericarthurblair/universal-basic-income-slavery
Great article. Thanks for posting!
It is an idea I am well aware of, but one that does have some flaws. Human psychology makes a sedentary life utterly miserable and I think that suicide rates will skyrocket.
Not to mention the need for a centralised and government owned economy in order to fund a UBI...
It is an idea I am not opposed to in principle, but one that I think is practically implausible.
I agree completely, I discuss in detail some reasons why it is not a viable solution.
I think a key takeaway here is that, to stay relevant, you will likely need to develop your intellectual capital more than your physical capital, because machines have an advantage at the latter and a disadvantage at the former.
That is a good way of looking at it. Mind you, the need for a physical labour force will never disappear entirely. Besides, for some reason us humans still enjoy sports and killing each other...
Good article. I was reading through the comments, and I noticed that a lot of people were talking about developing one's intellect and Steemit as tools for deriving income in an age of increasing automation. While I agree that those are great ideas, I do think one thing is missing: craft. In an age where most daily items are automated, there will likely be an increasing market for items that have a personal touch or that were developing with one's individual technical and artistic skill. For example, yes, driverless cars - short of an apocalyptic event or cripple regulation will be here in the mid-future at the latest - people will want individuate their driverless car. Those sorts of items - custom upholstery, decals, etc... will need to be developed by someone. Additionally, there is always a market for household items that have been developed by hand (cabinetry, dishes, etc...).
I think the biggest issue with automation in general is what it will do for those - in any skill range - that are frankly mediocre or worse with their skills. They will be the ones that are out luck. The best craftsman will be fine; indeed, due to how different their work will look from automated work, they may even do better. It is the person the middling skills that will be harmed the most.
My general takeaway isn't just to limit the alternatives to intellectual based or technological pursuits. If one truly excels in some manual/craft works, those have and will continue to have a market in an automated future.
I agree completely. I do not think automation will ever replace manual work completely because of this as well. However, craft will move to an ever more niche market in relation to the rest