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Comment by keeda | Hacker News Reader

I think you just described "technology" -- would you outlaw all technology then? ;-)

Right? I've been automating things and eliminating jobs using technology for over 20 years. No you do not need a team of five to manage your monthly reporting. We can build automated reports that are delivered automatically to everyone who needs them! No you shouldn't be managing all of this data in an excel file on a shared computer. I don't care if 90% of what Dave does during the week is maintain that file. Let's streamline that.

Suddenly it's very different when it's our jobs being automated away.

Yes, I don't like it much either -- though I continue to be absolutely fascinated by all this -- but I realize this is unstoppable, and I must trust that on the balance technology has been extremely good for humanity and the source of all our progress, and so I must adapt to a new future.

But I also realize the impact of technology, good or bad, entirely depends on how society uses it, and that is where our focus must lie.

I should add that we must also consider the extent and speed of replacement. If the replacement rate is too high, employment levels can’t recover, both scenarios need to be avoided.

Technological innovation can be sped up, but it cannot be slowed down without mechanisms that create worse problems than technology. Adaptation is a political problem.

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