70’s Computer Salesman Talks about Automation

A short, but nonetheless thought provoking video. This man nails it on the head about automation and job obsolescence as a result. It’s ironic that people today fear job automation much more than computer literate people did in 1979.

But the reality is that job loss due to automation isn’t anything to fear, if two conditions can be met to facilitate the transition:

1. We need to re-train a significant portion of the workforce to take on jobs that are not dependent on raw, procedural skills, which are reflected in just the kind of jobs automation will make obsolete. This is why Trump, or any other leader’s focus on saving manufacturing jobs is a big mistake. It’s just a sensationalist talking point. These are jobs that machines will soon be able to do for almost infinitely less than what firms would have to pay to maintain a fleet of factory workers.
2. We need a corresponding social revolution to accompany the coming AI revolution. The Industrial Revolution was a nightmare for the lower classes up until Europe and the United States got its corresponding social revolution: creation of a broad social safety net to look after those who, for whatever reason, cannot fully look after themselves. This modern day social revolution would best be carried out with the institution of the UBI (universal basic income), and despite the knee jerk, conservtive “we can’t afford that!” claim, a number of authoritative sources on the matter have calculated it to be in some cases more affordable than our current spending schemas. Here’s one such resource:

If we can accomplish these conditions, than the inevitable transition from an industrial to a post industrial workforce will no more be lamented in history than our departure from horses and wagons to the automobile.