Humans Need Not Apply

[Reeve]

For those who can't watch the video at the moment, the idea is that we are rapidly approaching a time wherein many if not most activities that humans can perform will be able to be performed less expensively by autonomous robots or computers. While we've always in previous technological revolutions figured out new jobs for people to perform, CGPGrey contests that this is fundamentally different, because robots are rapidly approaching the ability to do just about everything better or cheaper than people. That includes manual labor, office jobs, professional jobs, and even creative undertakings. The position Grey takes is that this is inevitable, coming soon, and that we are not prepared for what will happen when many if not most human beings become not just unemployed, but unemployable.

I'm not sure I agree with the premise or not, though I do think we're in for some major economic/societal shakeups as the result of automation over the next 50 years, but regardless, how can we, as a society, prepare for this potentiality? Do you agree with CGPGrey's position?

[apepi]

Good video but....Someone will always be working. Even if you are working to create that bot, someone has to do the thinking to do it. Hell if a creator bots even makes it someone has to create the creator bot.

Not saying most people won't be employed, but there will still be work to be done. You need bot maintenance ,and I would not trust a bot for security.

Though it does remind me in the Expanse serious were most people did not work on Earth. If you really wanted to work you have to actually do some manual labor to actually go to college.

[Captain N]

People said the same thing 50 years ago about restaurants and service station employees....People still get their orders taken from humans and mechanics still perform oil changes and tire rotations. While I don't discount the inevitable addition of automation to the workforce there will always be places that will still use humans to perform certain tasks.

[Elegiac]

We can start by introducing a guaranteed income system, which will help begin the transition to an economy in which the majority of people are not employed but still able to consume.

[Reeve]

People said the same thing 50 years ago about restaurants and service station employees....People still get their orders taken from humans and mechanics still perform oil changes and tire rotations. While I don't discount the inevitable addition of automation to the workforce there will always be places that will still use humans to perform certain tasks.

Sure. Will there be enough of those places where humans are needed to employ more than say 50% of the populace?

[Ulmita]

Good video but....Someone will always be working. Even if you are working to create that bot, someone has to do the thinking to do it. Hell if a creator bots even makes it someone has to create the creator bot.

Not saying most people won't be employed, but there will still be work to be done. You need bot maintenance ,and I would not trust a bot for security.

Though it does remind me in the Expanse serious were most people did not work on Earth. If you really wanted to work you have to actually do some manual labor to actually go to college.

Your logic is good up to a point.

Lets take a real life example.
I have a welding robot. Those things can weld precisely in very high speed. They never get tired, need a break, get sick or get in accidents; They can easily replace at the very minimum 2 welders.

Lets say there is demand for those robots. For every 1 person it takes to make a robot (one job gained) , they will be replacing 2 welders (jobs lost)

I don't think yet we are quite yet there, but i personally wouldn't be too afraid of it. You see companies still need buyers to produce those robots. If robots take jobs, and people don't have money to spend, there wont be any robots to be produced, if that makes any sense.

[Elegiac]

Sure. Will there be enough of those places where humans are needed to employ more than say 50% of the populace?

No. There is a delta between machines replacing jobs and the jobs they in turn create; moreover, the jobs machines tend to replace are unskilled positions whereas the jobs they create tend to be skilled.

[Graeham]

It's something that needs to be addressed on a much more serious level. Currently there's a steady rise in unemployment as the population increases and technological advances make for less jobs being available. It's unlikely to eliminate every single job out there but it's an issue that is only going to become more and more prominent as time goes on.

[Netherspark]

It will take some time, but yes it will eventually happen, probably not to such a degree though.

However, the world will need to learn to cope with the riots, rampant corporationism and eventual socialist reforms likely to follow.

[apepi]

Your logic is good up to a point.

Lets take a real life example.
I have a welding robot. Those things can weld precisely in very high speed. They never get tired, need a break, get sick or get in accidents; They can easily replace at the very minimum 2 welders.

Lets say there is demand for those robots. For every 1 person it takes to make a robot (one job gained) , they will be replacing 2 welders (jobs lost)

I don't think yet we are quite yet there, but i personally wouldn't be too afraid of it. You see companies still need buyers to produce those robots. If robots take jobs, and people don't have money to spend, there wont be any robots to be produced, if that makes any sense.

Someone will always have to work, to create these bots, unless someone creates AI that is as smart as us. Whether the job portions I am not sure, most of them will be white copllared jobs, but comapnies will want to be faster and better than X company and will push for it.

[Wells]

People have been worried about mass replacement of humans in the work force since the industrial revolution began. Its not a serious concern.

[Deleted]

I think humans will adapt, we will hopefully finally decide to work less and do more meaningful jobs.

[Stonecloak]

For those who can't watch the video at the moment, the idea is that we are rapidly approaching a time wherein many if not most activities that humans can perform will be able to be performed less expensively by autonomous robots or computers. While we've always in previous technological revolutions figured out new jobs for people to perform, CGPGrey contests that this is fundamentally different, because robots are rapidly approaching the ability to do just about everything better or cheaper than people. That includes manual labor, office jobs, professional jobs, and even creative undertakings. The position Grey takes is that this is inevitable, coming soon, and that we are not prepared for what will happen when many if not most human beings become not just unemployed, but unemployable.

I'm not sure I agree with the premise or not, though I do think we're in for some major economic/societal shakeups as the result of automation over the next 50 years, but regardless, how can we, as a society, prepare for this potentiality? Do you agree with CGPGrey's position?

The problem is traditions in our society. Technology should be making everything better and easier. Which it does, but western American society and other are still built and running on these ancient ideas. The biggest hope we have imo is educating as many people about these things as possible, because it will be a shift and we want it to go smoothly obviously.

[Kaleredar]

I can only anticipate when our video games, TV shows, and other creative ventures are "made by robots."


While I'm sure a jerry-rigged see-and-say could write most of TLC's shows, I doubt the acumen of robots to fulfill more endearing creative roles any time in the near future.

[Reeve]

People have been worried about mass replacement of humans in the work force since the industrial revolution began. Its not a serious concern.

Because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it will never happen. I mean people have been saying humans would one day learn to fly also for centuries. And it took a long time, but eventually we did.

[Kaleredar]

Because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it will never happen. I mean people have been saying humans would one day learn to fly also for centuries. And it took a long time, but eventually we did.

And yet people still drive cars and ride bikes and run and walk, even though we have blimps, hot air balloons, airplanes and rockets.

[Reeve]

And yet people still drive cars and ride bikes and run and walk, even though we have blimps, hot air balloons, airplanes and rockets.

I'm not sure how that's relevant.

[Wells]

Because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean it will never happen.

It hasn't happened before because economics don't' work that way. Demand is infinite so ultimately need for labor is infinite on a long enough timeline. It just shifts into areas that require an intelligent mind. Which is good. Fewer people needing to do mindless menial work is a good thing.

[Stonecloak]

And yet people still drive cars and ride bikes and run and walk, even though we have blimps, hot air balloons, airplanes and rockets.

It's just at the rate technology is moving, and when we learn how to take better advantage of the sun for energy. It's going to move even faster. I don't think humans can ever be fully replaced, but some human jobs will.

[AeneasBK]

Lets say there is demand for those robots. For every 1 person it takes to make a robot (one job gained) , they will be replacing 2 welders (jobs lost)

And that's assuming each robot takes 1 person an entire employed life to make.

Every time that 1 job *makes* a robot, thats 2 jobs lost.