Last Sunday’s TV episode of VPRO’s Backlight was about how automation – including robotics – is taking over our love – and sex – life. At the same time, the FT and the Guardian are warning us: “AI and robots threaten to unleash mass unemployment”, “AI could leave half of world unemployed” and “Intelligent machines will soon replace human workers in all sectors of the economy”.
Much earlier I had assumed that jobs that require human contact could survive. Perhaps I was wrong. Japan is introducing robotic care for children and the elderly (eg, CNN, Independent, TI, Verge). Companies develop chatbots that simulate human romantic contact. AI researcher David Levy expects that humans will have sex and marriage with robots (NBC).
I am wondering: If robots could take over our sex life then what jobs are left for humans??
In my 14 December 2015 blog I already stated that in our ongoing Technical Revolution “many jobs do not require human creativity. Essentially, these jobs could be automated and robotised with some – limited – human supervision”. This is in line with my 12 February 2016 blog: Imagination separates human intelligence from artificial intelligence.
Creative – or imaginative – jobs would then be left to humans: art, books, games, inventions, music, movies, religion, research, sports, studies, teaching and so on. Any job that requires well-defined tasks could be taken over by a robot. Well-defined jobs would probably include many – if not most – production, sales and servicing jobs. Jobs that require extensive multitasking (eg, top management) are likely to remain exclusive to humans. The span-of-control for middle management would become huge and thus this need for supervision would be minimal.
The consequences of AI and robots have been addressed in several of my blogs: melting populations, fear of (killer) robots, robots taking over from humans, need for governments to grant tax credits to their citizens (eg, USA, NL-basisinkomen), a political turn to the left in the USA (eg, Bernie Sanders).
Another question: What will humans do and how would these societies look like??
Essentially, two extreme types of societies could arise, depending on governments (not) giving tax credits to their citizens: a welfare society versus a haves-and-have-nots society. The former could either give rise to a new human Renaissance or a humanity dulled by entertainment (eg, WALL-E). The latter could – and probably would – result in excessive criminality.
For many centuries, governments predominantly taxed people rather than the other two production factors, being land and “capital” (LO: money and machinery). Regardless of a country’s political system, companies always strive to minimise the cost of production inputs (eg, labour), maximise production outputs (eg, sales), and increase returns (ie, profits). The substitution of production factor labour for machinery (including robotics) has been universal.
Governments now face the ultimate consequence of their policies: future tax credits to citizens in order to support their cost of living and to prevent massive social unrest.
Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar (2010) – artist, lyrics, Wiki-1, Wiki-2
I had a job but the boss man let me go
He said: I’m sorry but I won’t be needing your help no more
I said: Please mister boss man I need this job more than you know
But he gave me my last pay check and he sent me on out the door
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