Technologies Like Google's Self-Driving Car: Destroying Jobs? 736
Nerval's Lobster writes "For quite some time, some economists and social scientists have argued that advances in robotics and computer technology are systematically wrecking the job prospects of human beings. Back in June, for example, an MIT Technology Review article detailed Erik Brynjolfsson (a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management) and a co-author suggesting that the evolution of computer technology was "largely behind the sluggish employment growth of the last 10 to 15 years." Of course, technological change and its impact on the workforce is nothing new; just look at the Industrial Revolution, when labor-saving devices put many a hard-working homo sapien out of economic commission. But how far can things go? There are even arguments that the technology behind Google's Self-Driving Car, which allows machines to rapidly adapt to situations, could put whole new subsets of people out of jobs."
why leave the house (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Oh noes! (Score:5, Interesting)
Nevermind the new jobs that this will enable.
I'm curious - what new careers do you foresee, that current professional drivers would qualify for?
I was a trucker for 20 years. I've just been given an offer of a place at a top 10 university to do a BEng (Hons) in Electronics Engineering. Not all of us do trucking because we're incapable of doing anything else and I find your insinuation that we are quite insulting.
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple evolved with the loss of Jobs. Remember that evolution doesn't imply change toward something we like, just a change to better fit the current situation. Apple seems to have evolved away from the tactics that made it so successful. I expect that this evolution will end up damaging Apple, possibly killing it, though that's likely wishful thinking on my part because I don't like the walled garden approach.
It could be that Apple evolved in a bad direction because a cell in Steve Jobs' liver evolved in a bad direction.
I swear, I haven't been smoking pot recently!
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:5, Interesting)
Technology only destroys jobs if you accept that the vast majority of the improvement in quality of life resulting from less labor required for survival should be reserved for a handful of plutocrats. Employment is low. Profits are high. Fewer people work more to get less out of fear that they will be cut next.
What technology can do is increase everyone's quality of life. Lower the work week to 32 hours and abolish the distinction between part time and full time employees and increase minimum wage to a scale that follows the cost of basic food, utilities, shelter and transportation (it would be around $18 an hour if it had been). More people working less and having more time for family or other hobbies that actually make life worth living.
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:4, Interesting)
In Oregon and New Jersey is it illegal to pump your own gas.
Supposedly for safety reason, but... seriously.
Oregon pump law [ktvb.com]
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Oh noes! (Score:4, Interesting)
Where does the idea come from that the job you're doing today is your eternal identity?
um, society? You can't change jobs too often or you're considered a flight risk and not considered hireable. You can't stay at one place too long or you're considered stagnant, and not hireable. If you're in your 30s and not in middle management, you're considered a failure, and not hireable (even if that's what you're applying for!). If you don't have a continuous job record for whatever reason, you're worse than a failure and can't get a job, even doing scutwork at min wage. Even the scutwork jobs have 'college' as a requirement now. wtf?
HR depts are using all these stupid metrics to decide candidacy, and that's why it's nearly impossible for them to fill jobs. 15% of the american population is out of work, while companies all want someone who is clean cut, has a college education, reliable transportation, and no legal record...even while they offer shit wages that cannot possibly pay for all of those things. Meanwhile, those 'lucky' enough to be employees are expected to work crazy hours so they can take out crazy loans just to make ends meet (car, college, home).
This modern life was supposed to be easier than that backbreaking rural labor lifestyle, right? Where did we go wrong?
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:5, Interesting)
The difference is that currently, most people avoid running into the streets, because there is considerable danger even if the closest car is far enough away to stop. When a large percentage of the cars on the road can auto-detect humans in the road and stop themselves, a pedestrian jaywalking problem seems inevitable. Rude people in large cities are already willing to just walk into traffic if it is slow enough. Another 20 years and there might not be much deterrent to taking a leisurely stroll across a highway as well.
In theory, a couple dozen people spread out along a highway could cause large slowdowns with little risk to themselves or the passengers, but I'm betting those artificial traffic jams will still be quicker to resolve than current ones since you can just send in the hoverdrones to stun & arrest the roadblockers.
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:4, Interesting)
We don't have enough automation to implement universal welfare at this time. The majority of people still need to work in order to produce enough to sustain society.
Re:Out of jobs? (Score:4, Interesting)
2. Employer fires workers and purchases robots.
3.All additional profit is pocketed by the former employer.
2a. Prices plummet as demand decreases. Less money in the hands of the consumers means less demand for everything. Any company that wants to continue to exist drops prices to match the lowered costs of production, thus eliminating the "additional profit" there would have been had sales remained constant.
4. Workers find new jobs in the service sector (serving mostly former employers).
One of the first adopters of automation will be the service sector. Imagine being able to remove the employee costs at a McDonalds by presenting a display of items to the consumer who selects his choices and then waits a few minutes for the food to pop out of a window.
Automats [wikipedia.org] were one of the early "robotic" systems in service. Now that we have NFC and "wave your card at the cash register" payments, there is no reason for them not to come back in big style. Especially if costs can be cut and there are a lot of people out of work because larger scale automated systems have made them redundant. It's nice to walk into a Subway and have a low-paid "sandwich specialist" make your sandwich to order, but in the long run it will be a choice between paying for personal service like that at full price or being able to eat at all.