Hacker News Reader

Comment by thomasahle | Hacker News Reader

> Because of productivity gains humans will work very little, and yet live comfortably.

Wouldn't this imply humans should already be working very little compared to pre industrial revolution? Instead it seems we work more [1]. And with less fulfilling work. I agree however that we have may have more stuff (or wealth).

So going by this projection, in the future we'll have even more stuff, and work even more in even less fulfilling work. That is, assuming the people who control the AI/robots are willing to share the wealth generated.

[1]: https://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/rauch/worktime/hours_...

View on HN

> That is, assuming the people who control the AI/robots are willing to share the wealth generated.

The only way that can be is if you make the AI/robots undocumented and extremely hard to operate, so that even if someone steals your blueprints and builds an exact clone of your robot manufacturing plant, or what have you, they have no idea how to get them to do anything.

Take this as a joke but Kubernetes is hard just to create DevOps jobs.

People are crazy good at handling this sort of complexity.

Well, pre-industrial societies usually enjoyed a very efficient type of political system. Maybe replacing our current one with some form of AI with let us enjoy these blessed times again.

> pre-industrial societies usually enjoyed a very efficient type of political system.

Really? What system is that?

Aristocracy, of course!

Only at hacker news would I have to question my sarcasm detector on this statement lol. But I’ve settled on: good one

> Wouldn't this imply humans should already be working very little compared to pre industrial revolution?

No, because human wants aren't fixed. When you give a human everything they want now, tomorrow they come back with a whole new set of wants. And so on ad infinitum...

Of course, as an individual it's your choice whether, and for how long, you stay on this merry-go-round. But there will always be a significant number of humans who will.

>>> Because of productivity gains humans will work very little, and yet live comfortably.

>> Wouldn't this imply humans should already be working very little compared to pre industrial revolution?

> No, because human wants aren't fixed. When you give a human everything they want now, tomorrow they come back with a whole new set of wants

It sounds like you are disagreeing with the OP, not me?

Or do you think AI productivity will make us work less in a way Industrial productivity didn't?

> It sounds like you are disagreeing with the OP, not me?

I am disagreeing with the OP's claims that productivity gains make humans work less.

If your answer to the "wouldn't this imply" question is also "no", as mine is, then no, I am not disagreeing with you.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com