[ExI] The Robot Big Bang

[BillK]

On 21 February 2015 at 23:54, Anders Sandberg wrote:
<snip>
> Understanding these complications and that there likely is a big automation
> shift matters. As does explaining it properly to decisionmakers. I am a bit
> worried that right now it turns into a simplistic "The robots are coming, so
> we need basic income", which means some politicians will immediately accept
> or dismiss it depending on their views of basic income, and hence deduce
> that robots are either a problem or not a problem...
>


A starving population is a political problem.
Note the millions receiving food stamps (and the millions in prison)
in the USA and the desperate attempts in the UK to try and reduce
welfare costs.

Giving people low paid, zero hours contract jobs is a stop-gap that
enables people to survive, but they won't settle for a life like that.
As more and more jobs are gradually automated (think ATMs, robot
bartenders, etc.), then gradually more and more people will move to
'make-work' jobs. It seems obvious that there will be a big change in
the way society is organised. Basic income is one possibility, but you
have to keep humans occupied. Remember that one thing humans are
really good at is fighting.

BillK