
Robots won't just take our jobs – they'll make the rich even richer - Shivetya
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/02/robot-tax-job-elimination-livable-wage
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chrisbrandow
This seems like a fairly obvious conclusion. With few exceptions, the highest
paid jobs require the highest cognitive abilities. As robots replace
cognitively demanding jobs, then instead of splitting the "cost" of labor with
the laborer, the owner of the equipment will simply pay for the cost of a
robot and keep the rest.

This is the more immediate threat of AI. And there's no obvious way to avoid
it because any responsible business owner will always replace a more
expensive, lower performing unit with a cheaper, higher performing one.

There may be plenty of jobs but they will increasingly bifurcate between lots
of low paying ones and fewer high paying ones.

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leecarraher
not too surprising, this is the outcome of all forms of automation technology.

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petre
The leftist editors of this site are fail to see the big picture. Robots will
replace human workers because of rising healthcare costs and an aging
population in developed coutries (we are already seing this in Japan). A tax
on robots would impact the economy of the country that does this, for the
robotic workforce will move elsewhere. We should really replace government
workers with robots because gov't expenditures in many countries account for
more than 30% of the GDP.

 _If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years
there 'd be a shortage of sand._ \-- Milton Friedman

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bediger4000
So human workers shouldn't incur healthcare costs and/or age, so as to keep
their jobs?

We should really replace lawyers and financiers with robots, as those
professions are only a drag on the economy.

If you put the federal government in charge of the Department of Defense, in 5
years, there'd be a shortage of wars.

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zpatel
But wouldn't there be jobs to make, fix, manage robots ?

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dragonbonheur
Low paid, scarce jobs, even outsourced. Why keep an expensive engineer on call
when you can just swap a robot out, ship it to its manufacturer for repairs
and just keep production going, no matter what?

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zpatel
Sure , would it not be more of an extension (although agreeably an extreme
one) of computers, vending machines, self serve checkouts, self driving cars
etc ?

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dragonbonheur
And soon enough, programmers and even CEOs. Given enough time, everyone can be
replaced. What will you do then?

Sweep the streets? there's a robot for that.

Clean toilets? Self-cleaning toilets can be built.

Cook food? There's a robot for that.

Look after other people's kids? Other people won't have a job either to be
able to pay you.

> Ian: Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could,
> they didn’t stop to think if they should.

Jurassic Park

