Carney 15m jobs to go in UK due to automation

Robots are building cars to supermarket check-out machines.

Soon we will have driverless cars which will mean the end of couriers and cab drivers. The distribution of wealth will get worse as only big corporations make money. More people will become poorer. If we can not work what hope of a decent life?

Could a robot take over your job?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4003756/Robots-steal-15m-jobs-says-bank-chief-Doom-laden-Carney-warns-middle-classes-hollowed-new-technology.html

If the hope of working is your main hope for a decent life then I genuinely feel sorry for you...the whole point of automation is to stop people having to menial tasks that robots can do instead. We have been conditioned to believe that to be worth anything requires us to generate money in some way. Perhaps if we can get away from the notion that our value is defined in pounds and pence then we can start to see that if suddenly no one needs to do many jobs we have anymore then we can use our minds to do greater things, like looking after relatives, spending more time with our children, working with those less fortunate, making our communities better places, doing all the times we'd want to do but never have the time.

The response will be but how can I afford that if I haven't got a job, and that takes us back to the conditioning part. Lets give an example:

Company A has 10000 staff. It rolls out massive automation allowing them to make 5000 people redundant. It now also has 5000 less people's wages to pay, which in turn means it makes more profit. This profit is taxed and that money can fund a 'basic citizens income'. Prices of goods would also lower due to less costs in making or servicing various items so cost of living comes down rapidly.

So the big problem we need to start solving now is NOT how to keep in work that could be automated or done my machine, but how to redistribute the increased profits companies that push automation would make to allow us to provide a secure income for everyone regardless of whether they are working in a profit generating manner or not.

These isn't a free pass to do nothing, but there is a whole difference between delivering value to society and generating money and there should be scope to offer both.

Automation goes back hundreds of years now and yet there always seems to be work to do. Despite all that modern technology does for us, we have historically low unemployment.

People now work far shorter hours for far more money in real terms than their ancestors. Expect that trend to continue.

The robots are your friends.

The good thing about robots is that they don't take up valuable housing stock, hospital beds and school places.

If the hope of working is your main hope for a decent life then I genuinely feel sorry for you...the whole point of automation is to stop people having to menial tasks that robots can do instead. We have been conditioned to believe that to be worth anything requires us to generate money in some way. Perhaps if we can get away from the notion that our value is defined in pounds and pence then we can start to see that if suddenly no one needs to do many jobs we have anymore then we can use our minds to do greater things, like looking after relatives, spending more time with our children, working with those less fortunate, making our communities better places, doing all the times we'd want to do but never have the time.

 

The response will be but how can I afford that if I haven't got a job, and that takes us back to the conditioning part. Lets give an example:

 

Company A has 10000 staff. It rolls out massive automation allowing them to make 5000 people redundant. It now also has 5000 less people's wages to pay, which in turn means it makes more profit. This profit is taxed and that money can fund a 'basic citizens income'. Prices of goods would also lower due to less costs in making or servicing various items so cost of living comes down rapidly.

 

So the big problem we need to start solving now is NOT how to keep in work that could be automated or done my machine, but how to redistribute the increased profits companies that push automation would make to allow us to provide a secure income for everyone regardless of whether they are working in a profit generating manner or not.

 

These isn't a free pass to do nothing, but there is a whole difference between delivering value to society and generating money and there should be scope to offer both.

What you actually mean is, firms earn more money then find ways to pay less tax

What you actually mean is, firms earn more money then find ways to pay less tax

Sadly, yes I probably do Although it does mean all the people who robots replace can retrain as accountants.

Could a robot take over your job?

But then, I was taught to value, and so duly valued, my education. One of the most valuable life lessons that you must teach to your kids, and then must ensure that it is understood and applied, no matter the personal cost.

Nope. Not a prayer until an AI goes quite some way past passing the Turning test.

 

But then, I was taught to value, and so duly valued, my education. One of the most valuable life lessons that you must teach to your kids, and then must ensure that it is understood and applied, no matter the personal cost.

I suspect my job could be automated, but as I work in IT Security, it would indeed be SkyNet.

Nope. Not a prayer until an AI goes quite some way past passing the Turning test.

 

But then, I was taught to value, and so duly valued, my education. One of the most valuable life lessons that you must teach to your kids, and then must ensure that it is understood and applied, no matter the personal cost.

Same here (although we do the same job, largely, of course!)

Education is so vital that it's abhorrent for people to waste it in my view, particularly when it's free in this country.

Same here (although we do the same job, largely, of course!)

 

Education is so vital that it's abhorrent for people to waste it in my view, particularly when it's free in this country.

Most Open university courses are now online as are GCSE courses for children trying to improve their results. There are numerous online courses to help students in education. These are free and cheaper than a private tutor. Considering the number of teachers leaving the profession, it won't be long before these online courses are used in schools as a substitute for teachers.

---------- Post added 06-12-2016 at 13:55 ----------

Sadly, yes I probably do Although it does mean all the people who robots replace can retrain as accountants.

You obviously didn't read the link in my first post. Carney states that All accountancy jobs will be abolished!

Most Open university courses are now online as are GCSE courses for children trying to improve their results. There are numerous online courses to help students in education. These are free and cheaper than a private tutor. Considering the number of teachers leaving the profession, it won't be long before these online courses are used in schools as a substitute for teachers.

I'm not a teacher at all, but I still think that's another area where the human touch will always be required.

Robots are building cars to supermarket check-out machines.

Soon we will have driverless cars which will mean the end of couriers and cab drivers. The distribution of wealth will get worse as only big corporations make money. More people will become poorer. If we can not work what hope of a decent life?

Could a robot take over your job?

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4003756/Robots-steal-15m-jobs-says-bank-chief-Doom-laden-Carney-warns-middle-classes-hollowed-new-technology.html

I was listening to a programme on R4 which basically said that Trump got in (and indeed the rise of popular nationalism) because of automation. It was explaining that far more relatively well paid jobs were lost to automation than to immigration. The bit in italics is very significant, the US may have relatively low levels of unemployment, but too many people feel they`re not earning very much......