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Bill Gates Thinks AI Taking Everyone's Jobs Could be a Good Thing (businessinsider.com)
Bill Gates, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, thinks that artificial intelligence will take over a lot of jobs and ultimately will be a good thing. From a report:
In an interview, Gates said that robots taking over our jobs will make us more efficient, and lead to more free time. "Well, certainly we can look forward to the idea that vacations will be longer at some point," Gates told Fox Business. "If we can actually produce twice as much as we make today with less labor, the purpose of humanity is not just to sit behind a counter and sell things, you know?"
...is A-OK with no one else having money.
Exactly. He's been a billionaire for most of his adult life and has no concept of reality.
A hundred years ago, Henry Ford paid his employees wages that were higher than most other companies at that time. Not because he was generous, but because he understood that they weren't just workers, they were also customers, and good wages meant they had more money to spend and in the long run he would sell more cars.
Ironically, in the long run, the destruction of jobs by robots and AI hurts the billionaires just as much as everyone else. You aren't just getting rid of jobs/employees -- you're getting rid of customers. Once you've used robots and AI to eliminate all the jobs, who exactly do you think is going to buy your company's products?
He means unemployment and time to wander the streets because you're homeless.
Indeed. 10,000 Microsoft employees became millionaires through their stock options.
Bill paid way better than Henry.
See, as much as I like Star Trek, some aspects of the Federation never made sense to me. For example, the notion that people will work for the betterment of society rather than for compensation. So you're gonna tell me that the Red Shirts are willing to brave venturing down onto a mysterious planet with little to no protection, get horrendously murdered, and expect the traumatized survivors to just accept a pat on the back and some words thanking them for doing their part for the Federation? Sounds a lot like the Terran Federation in that sense.
What about trading between alien races? Do you expect an alien race to just let anyone mine their Dilithium crystals deposits without any form of compensation or trade? In DS9, there's a scene where Jake needs money for a baseball card auction and asks Nog, a Ferengi, for money. Nog rightfully points out that if the people of the Federation don't need money, then Jake wouldn't need Nog's to buy that card.
What about the crooked Admirals of Star Fleet? The power plays that officers make to one up each other and gain promotions and power? That doesn't seem like they're acting within the Federation's best interests.
A post scarcity society has the potential to be good for humanity. But the notion that humanity is willing to do hard, and even dangerous future work for no material compensation is silly at best, dangerous at worst.