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There will still be jobs left. Who wants a lap dance from a robot?
Depending on the design of the robot ...
In all seriousness, robots are being designed to take over a wide variety of jobs, and the first to go will be the low paying jobs.
RE: the In-n-Out burgers, the reason people line up for them is because the quality is better, and they pay their people well because the quality begets demand. The higher prices are feasible because of markets. Just look at where they have restaurants - high net worth areas (excluding some areas of CA, but in CA the minimum wage is high enough to afford these so it's a wash).
However, out in the sticks, where McD's rule, good luck finding people willing to pay more than $5 for their burger plus fries and a drink. Have you ever driven through pancake land in the Midwest? I have. Basically folks drive the cheapest cars they can find, and what little money they make they spend in Wal-mart because they have the lowest prices. Most towns don't have a Porsche dealer downtown. Many small towns have a strip mall and a post office and very little else. You expect folks to fork over $8 for a burger? Get real. The small towns' McD's aren't going to be driven out of business by expensive burger joints. Ever. Bet you $20.
If In-n-out wants to be competitive in those markets then they will have to bring down wages to relative parity and have locally sourced products.
The day is coming in the not so distant future when robots will take over most of our jobs. The question is what will we do when that happens?
Yep. Not all jobs, but eventually enough to make 50%+ unemployment the norm worldwide. Walmart is currently reasearching fully automated stores. I read an article this week about physicians being replaced by AI and automation. Pilots are being automated in the military. AI will design and manufacture other automated products and machines. It will happen, the question is when and how will govts and economic systems adapt in a post-work world.
Yep. Not all jobs, but eventually enough to make 50%+ unemployment the norm worldwide. Walmart is currently reasearching fully automated stores. I read an article this week about physicians being replaced by AI and automation. Pilots are being automated in the military. AI will design and manufacture other automated products and machines. It will happen, the question is when and how will govts and economic systems adapt in a post-work world.
I think it could be higher then that. I mean when computers become so intelligent that they are smarter then our top scientists (unless they merge with them) then what will any of us do? Honestly part of me is excited about this day and part of me is nervous.
As far as the poster who talked about wanting a lap dance from one. Not only would I want a lap dance from one but I would date one. I mean think of the possibilities as I could go to a store and buy the perfect robot that looked how I wanted him to look and was more trustworthy then any human on the planet, including me.
I think it could be higher then that. I mean when computers become so intelligent that they are smarter then our top scientists (unless they merge with them) then what will any of us do? Honestly part of me is excited about this day and part of me is nervous.
As far as the poster who talked about wanting a lap dance from one. Not only would I want a lap dance from one but I would date one. I mean think of the possibilities as I could go to a store and buy the perfect robot that looked how I wanted him to look and was more trustworthy then any human on the planet, including me.
Until El'Gordo's $25000 atomic battery runs low and becomes El'Limpo.
This reminds me of an idea I read in the Schrodinger's Cat novels by Robert Anton Wilson. The U.S. president and congress enact a law which allows citizens to get a minimum stipend from the state if they can invent a device to replace themselves in the workplace.
In the future, with advanced three-dimensional printers, computers and robotics, a lot of jobs would be lost, but costs would (ideally) plummet. It's hard for many people to imagine a world in which most things are free or very cheap, but in fact, we've already been moving in that direction in many areas. I remember when one LP record or video was a cherished possession, but music and film for young people today is essentially free (sometimes through not-so-legal means, granted).
Unfortunately, as much as people hate going to tedious jobs, I sometimes suspect that many people wouldn't know how to (productively/creatively) occupy themselves if they had unlimited free time. Look up the concept of "post-scarcity" if you're interested in such things.
When there are no jobs and everything is free what will we do? I have often wondered that and so far have come up with no answer.
Joel Garreau predicted (in the 1990s!) that by 2030 the world will have automation drive out significant numbers of the population from working, and the only way around the throngs of unemployed masses is to basically have the biggest wealth redistribution program in the history of man, OR have a society built on volunteerism. I kinda like the latter idea - you volunteer to say, fill a pothole, and you get X number of credits towards whatever it is you wanted. Kinda optimistic but hey what else are those people gonna do?
I suggest a few evenings watching "How it Made", "Factory Made" and similar shows to see just how many jobs, in particular welding, have already been replaced by machine automation. Just watching how jelly beans are made by the billions is a fascinating study in mass production through mechanical automation. Spot welding sheet steel pressed forms into car bodies is another. Machines install components on printed circuit board too crowded for a human to even attempt.
If we call these machine workers the equivalent of slaves we would not to be too far off. So how was wealth distributed in slave driven agricultural economies? It mostly went to the slave owning plutocrats while the “free” populations more or less starved on rented property. I suspect this is a long term goal of the owners of the mechanical slaves.
The problem is created by a few very wealthy only buying a few very expensive luxury goods while their automated factories spew out zillions of things but there will not be the employed masses with enough money to buy the output. Mass production without mass consumption has a limited lifespan.
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