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Portentous changes to the work economies of India and the USA due to job automation by machines and robots continue to make headlines. Varieties of hardware and software automation are seeing implementation burgeon in both countries, as companies seek efficiency by replacing humans with machines. Wage erosion in areas previously unaffected by automation - including varieties of programming - is getting commoner while new, albeit highly specialized, engineering jobs are created. Both articles encourage educational changes mindful of these realities, though how colleges either side of the world can adapt to the blistering pace of automation is unclear.
The latest tranche of job automation news comes hot on the heels of Davos' prediction that machine automation will result in a net loss globally of over 5 million jobs prior to 2020.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Murdoc on Wednesday February 10 2016, @10:06AM
Economies need the working class to be earning so they can spend.
This is true in every economy so far, but it doesn't need to be, and indeed it is what is holding us back. As technology advances, it increases our ability to produce more, as well as do so with less labor. But less labor means less income with which to buy that new production, so we are left with the catch-22 of our age: the more we produce, the less we can consume. The only solution is to unlink income from labor. Let the machines produce more for us, and let us just enjoy it. Of course there is more to it than that, but that's just all the details. [technocracy.ca]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 10 2016, @03:36PM
https://soundcloud.com/fatboyslim/02-machines-can-do-the-work [soundcloud.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 11 2016, @06:52AM
From what I see there are a few destinations:
a) have the machines be our slaves, yay
b) have a large underclass of humans effectively be slaves, competing vs the machines on who can be cheaper (this is not a good position to be in).
c) mass unrest
d) a blend of a,b,c :)
The virtual economy stuff may help if the virtual stuff can be really cheap so that the underclass can afford virtual toys (circuses) to make their life more fun while the bulk of their earnings are for rent and food (bread). But with stuff like the TPP and "Intellectual Property" the virtual stuff might not be that cheap legally. So the underclass might only be able to afford to get their "circuses" illegally.
(Score: 2) by Mr Big in the Pants on Thursday February 11 2016, @08:37AM
Err...we already have d.
The number of people in 3rd world countries subsisting on at or just less than what is needed to survive is very high. In some ways this is WORSE than many slaves as slaves were property and keeping them functioning well was their master's responsibility. There have been many slaves in human history that have been better treated than the poor around the world...including some 1st world countries. There is now a growing number of "working poor" which are people who work full time but only make just enough to subsist on which is functionally akin to slavery in which your "pay" is your food and accommodation.
The article in my view is just saying this is getting worse.