In a 1938 article, MIT’s president argued that technical progress didn’t mean fewer jobs. He’s still right.
Compton drew a sharp distinction between the consequences of technological progress on “industry as a whole” and the effects, often painful, on individuals.
For “industry as a whole,” he concluded, “technological unemployment is a myth.” That’s because, he argued, technology "has created so many new industries” and has expanded the market for many items by “lowering the cost of production to make a price within reach of large masses of purchasers.” In short, technological advances had created more jobs overall. The argument—and the question of whether it is still true—remains pertinent in the age of AI.
Then Compton abruptly switched perspectives, acknowledging that for some workers and communities, “technological unemployment may be a very serious social problem, as in a town whose mill has had to shut down, or in a craft which has been superseded by a new art.”
Previous increases in automation and productivity have brought new goods, services, wealth. To be perfectly honest I’m largely done.
The next wave of progress needs to not bring new things but to bring more time off.
The only things I probably want in terms of future tech is medical advances and VR. Everything else fuck it. I’m okay with all the media we got, the Internet, TV games, food, hobbies. I don’t have smart anything except a phone. I’m done.
Give me a 4 day work week for what I have now. Then 3 then 2 then 1. I’m done. I don’t need more.
Previous results are not sufficient to forecast the future.
that’s all very nice but you don’t get a vote on how this turns out. very few if any will.
Of course I do.
I can vote for someone to represent me in government. The problem is the voting system is shit that no one will vote to change and that people vote for idiots.
At this point it’s the people fault.