Concerned American
Diamond Member
Agreed, I spent 33 years working in a factory and repairing the machinery. I have seen the introduction of AI from the 80's forward. AI is not free. There are R&D costs, programming costs, hardware costs etc. Companies are not going to produce these without an incentive. If the government removes the incentive by removing the free market value, companies will no longer produce the product. Also, AI, is only as good as the electricians and mechanics that keep it running. That too comes at a cost. The OP hit the nail on the head when he explained socialism in Russia--products were hard to come by and the quality suffered in spite of high costs. He also referenced punitive measures for those who won't work. Are we going to have gulags--Do the words Arbeit Macht Frei mean anything to you. They were on the gates of every nazi concentration camp and translate to "work sets you free." I prefer the free market.Who will pay for the robots and where is the incentive for improvement? The US currently has those incentives in place AND a safety net in the form of federal and state social programs at this time. I prefer a free market economy.What should the creation of AI lead to and how it will affect human society. I grew up in the USSR under socialism, when there was free medicine, secondary education and higher education - those who passed the competition for admission to the university.
Also, under socialism, everyone was guaranteed a job, but at the same time unwillingness to work was legally punished - "the law on parasitism."
At the same time, there was a shortage of goods in stores, complex equipment like televisions or cars was expensive, difficult to buy and of poor quality.
Now almost the entire planet operates in a market economy, when it is easy to buy various goods, but you need to work hard and with high quality to ensure a decent standard of living, there is a strong stratification of society in terms of income and material status, and there is unemployment and unemployed.
Thus, socialism and capitalism have their disadvantages and advantages.
The question: how to combine the advantages of capitalism and socialism and get rid of their disadvantages - IMHO, can be solved by creating a "strong AI". Indeed, it is possible to build an economy where all goods will be produced by robots and robots will compete with each other to produce the best quality and cheapest goods for humans. People will receive Basic Income, which allows them to buy goods made by robots. Most likely, stratification in human society will take place, but even the poorest will receive Basic Income in order to maintain a minimum consumer level. Hunger, disease, poverty will become a thing of the past. People will be freed from the need to look for work and work to feed themselves.
The robots are cost effective replacements for human workers. No need for HR when your workforce is mechanical.
Also, a properly programed robot is far better at creating a product to tighter specs than a human worker is. And can do it 24/7, without breaks, vacations or overtime.