For those who work in STEM related jobs (at least some), how do you feel about the fact that computers often replace real lower end jobs, and that the trend is only likely to get worse?
Example: Many toll booths are going completely cashless. No stopping or extensive idling. Just drive through, if you have a toll transponder your account is billed, if not your plate is read and you are mailed a bill.
Another example: At Applebees, Chili's, and other restaurants, waiters are being replaced by tablets at the table. Drink and food orders are done at the table, as is credit/debit payment. It's faster, and five or six waiters get replaced by one server that picks up food/drink when the kitchen tells them to.
Increases in the minimum wage will only make this worse as there are a set of people who are not skilled enough to do as good of a job/efficient/cheap as a machine. A few jobs are created for the people programming/fixing the technology, well paying jobs, but by sheer numbers this will be less.
Driverless cars are one of the biggest as millions of people (taxi/limo drivers, bus drivers, truck drivers) are likely to be displaced by machines.
I myself am working on a software implementation that will reduce the manual compilation of reports and allow a computer to analyze in-memory and give complex reports in real time. This will eliminate several administrative jobs, and the advantages on the dataset are likely to reduce the jobs of people who manually keep an eye out for trouble.
What will happen to society when lower end jobs are culled?
good
it's bot my fault they're too unskilled to have a job that won't get replaced
>>53553205
>What will happen to society when lower end jobs are culled?
We will live in the society where everyone has a fulfilling job and more spare time for self-expression in form of art since our basic needs are extremely cheap and covered by machines? A lot of commodities you have today is a result of someone losing their job back then. Those are few eggs we have to break.
Also there is no implication that in general the number of jobs will reduce. That implies that STEM field is actually oversaturated, that we have too many scientists and not enough things to research, too many programmers and not enough software to write, etc.
Though I'm afraid this kind of thing is not going to happen anytime soon. For more developed countries, it's beneficial to keep majority of people poor and stupid and burn a witch or two, or show superbowl, on occasion when people get mildly unhappy, because the educated minority is big enough to cover the needs of the elite but small enough to have any political power.
>>53555157
>We will live in the society where everyone has a fulfilling job and more spare time for self-expression in form of art since our basic needs are extremely cheap and covered by machines? A lot of commodities you have today is a result of someone losing their job back then. Those are few eggs we have to break.
There's only so many people with the talent to draw art and only so much demand for it. A glut of people doing art will reduce the price of it.
>Also there is no implication that in general the number of jobs will reduce. That implies that STEM field is actually oversaturated, that we have too many scientists and not enough things to research, too many programmers and not enough software to write, etc.
STEM is not oversaturated, although in a sense it is (e.g. H1-B visas lowering wages and leading people with STEM degrees to work in other fields). Increasing automation will increase some STEM jobs while drastically reducing the number of many non-STEM base jobs.
>Though I'm afraid this kind of thing is not going to happen anytime soon. For more developed countries, it's beneficial to keep majority of people poor and stupid and burn a witch or two, or show superbowl, on occasion when people get mildly unhappy, because the educated minority is big enough to cover the needs of the elite but small enough to have any political power.
I think you underestimate the progress of automation.
>>53555205
>There's only so many people with the talent to draw art and only so much demand for it. A glut of people doing art will reduce the price of it.
You didn't get me about art, I meant art as a form of self-expression, hobby, etc., not as way to dodge the taxes for the rich people. You can't feed yourself with a painted food or shelter in a painted house, which makes art inaccessible for lots of people. Same goes for many hobbies. When people will have less exhausting work because of the progress, they'll have more time on "useless" things that bring us pleasure.
>I think you underestimate the progress of automation.
We would progress faster if proper education was endorsed by government and mass media (which is more or less controlled by government). In most cases, it is not, it's frowned and looked down upon by youth and general population until the time comes to pay the bills.
I'm a EE in the automation industry so I'm only gonna get richer.
>>53553205
Build a wall and get rid of 12million illegals that are driving down wages.
Being able to make more with less is a great thing.
Distribution of resources is a whole different thing.
That's where the problem is.
>>53556309
if you kick out the Mexicans, then your job gets replaced by automation instead of lower-wage workers. You still lose.
>>53553205
Fucking Brave, New World where all jobs are just daycare for adults.
I can manage my own time. Just give me a guaranteed minimum income based on robotic labor.
Retards who can't should be sterilized and put to so-called honest day's work in the salt mines.
It's a problem because of the current political situation, but will ultimately be a good thing. We will eventually have technology that will let everyone have immense wealth without needing to work. Right now being unemployed is a problem, but with different political and financial systems that could be changed.
>>53558025
This.
I'm not working on any tech that replaces humans so I don't really feel anything. If I worked in the google robot car then I guess I'd feel kinda guilty for all the taxi drivers who I'd be helping to put out of work.
