Sometimes, I read articles that leave me with a knot in my stomach. A recent one about Mechanize, a company whose goal is, quite simply, to automate all jobs, has left me thinking. Its premise is simple: think with AI, act with robots, and leave humans with a subsidy to survive. A utopian goal, yes, but with a disturbingly worrying undertone. It echoes the ideas that many Silicon Valley gurus and big-time investors seem to be promoting.
Let's remember the words of Bill Gates, who anticipated that the need for humans for certain tasks would fade. And while many may say we're a long way from that scenario, the reality is that technology is advancing by leaps and bounds.
We already see examples of AI performing programming tasks and robots carrying out jobs with increasing autonomy, learning from human observation. This reality isn't just a technological advance; it's an example of a deeper trend: the replacement of human labor.
Is this a conspiracy? Not necessarily. But it is a reality underlying the greed and logic of modern capitalism. Let's not be naive: for the richest, human labor seems, in essence, a nuisance. Workers who get sick, lazy, and seek higher wages—something a robot will never do. And so, technology, which once promised to improve everyone's lives, seems designed to enhance the wealth and power of an ever-shrinking elite.
Cloud capitalism, as Yanis Varoufakis has rightly pointed out, is taking control of our lives with astonishing speed. Markets, above governments and institutions, govern the fate of all of us. In this context, the automation of jobs is not merely a technological development; it is a strategy to consolidate economic power in the hands of a few.
The video of Yanis Varoufakis welcomes us to the age of Technofeudalism https://youtu.be/CzgkHIwSkP8 offers a profound perspective on this disturbing trend. Although it is long, the reflection it presents is crucial to understanding the context in which we operate. Capitalism, in its quest to maximize efficiency and productivity, is shifting toward a model in which human labor, viewed as a variable factor, becomes an obstacle.
So, what can we expect? Is an era inevitable in which most people no longer need to work to survive? A technological paradise where labor scarcity is the norm?
The answer isn't as simple as yes or no. There is a great debate brewing. On the one hand, automation could free humans from tedious and dangerous jobs, allowing us to focus on more creative and rewarding activities. However, the danger lies in the ever-widening gap between those who have the technology and those who don't.
If automation is not managed carefully, it could exacerbate inequality, leaving a large part of the population without a meaningful role in society. The question is not whether AI will automate jobs, but how society will adapt to this change and what measures will be taken to ensure that this change benefits everyone.
The future is unwritten. It depends on us, on our governments, on our ability to adapt technology to serve society, not the other way around. We need to debate, question, and, most importantly, act to prevent the automation of jobs from becoming an instrument of oppression rather than progress.
What do you think, dear friend? Do you think we are too close to a future where most jobs are automated, and what role should we play in that future? Share your thoughts in the comments.
It is crucial that this conversation expands, that we address this issue from all possible angles, and, above all, that we act to build a future where technology serves everyone, not just a few.
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