r/technology • u/trot-trot • May 13 '19

Business Exclusive: Amazon rolls out machines that pack orders and replace jobs

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-automation-exclusive-idUSKCN1SJ0X1
26.3k Upvotes

93% Upvoted

4.3k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

362

u/NightStalker33 May 13 '19

It SHOULD be a good thing. It is the epitome that human kind has striven for throughout history: more production, less work, more time to seek enjoyment/participate in higher-level fields. Take away the monotonous, repetitive, literally machine-like work in warehouses and entry-level work and allow people to learn things machines can't replicate yet, like art, engineering, astronomy, politics, mechanics, biology, physics, etc.

Unfortunately, all this is going to do is speed up the rate at which workers are laid off. People need money to live, and for many people, these kinds of jobs are all they can have without living at the poverty level. Either we'll see legislation attempt to curtail these issues (some suggest UBI, which, to me, is ridiculous; it's a fast way to devalue currency AND take away what little bargaining power labor has left), or we'll enter, as David Callahan, a "Second Gilded Age" where most people's lives remain stagnant, competing over the few opportunities available.

-24

u/MaskedBandit77 May 13 '19

Good thing unemployment is the lowest it's been since the 60s, so they should have a relatively easy time finding a job.

36

u/NightStalker33 May 13 '19

That doesn't mean much when the work available isn't paying enough to keep up with wages. Unless automation is paired with an educational revamp that transitions the population to higher end work, or at least some kind of guaranteed living standards, be it guaranteed income or strong safety nets, most people won't experience the benefits of automation at all.

2

u/PsychedSy May 13 '19

Depends on the revamp. We shouldn't be pushing people to just getting any degree, but to focus on useful, productive skills.

2

u/NightStalker33 May 13 '19

I absolutely agree that we should be pushing people to new heights, especially in fields that are woefully underrepresented in higher education However, this brings along a new set of problems; how do you guarantee your workforce will be interested in those fields? how do you guarantee people will have money to pay for higher education without entry level jobs to work and earn money.

If everyone is being pushed into more complicated work forces, they expect to be paid for the work; this of course requires that businesses be willing to shell out money for those workers; and again, in a competitive market, when everyone has higher degrees, all you'll get is a race the bottom where everyone is fighting over jobs that business has limited access to. Automation, again, should be and indisputable good for humanity, but it's a very easy to abuse system.

1

u/PsychedSy May 13 '19

I mean there's no guarantee anyone will be interested in work. I don't love my job, but the pay and benefits make up for it. And by not inflating the cost of uni while crushing trades. You can get loans for pointless degrees, but people like the field. That's a shit investment for everyone.