A Utopian Possibility: After AI & robots steal all our jobs
I was debating with my friend over dinner whether AI & robots would make the world a better place, we ended up finishing the a full stomach but an unsettled mind. So I have to force myself to settle on this shaky thought for now...
Of course if the technologies are controlled by a small group of people, then very likely majority of the population will be dictated by this group, I’ll be surprised if it’s not a hellish scenario. However, our debate on whether we would see a “better world” was actually about whether:
1. human would be awaken to adopt a new socio-economical structure that was just and serve the interests of community and,
2. really dedicate ourselves to creative endeavors and the pursuits of knowledge
, assuming that all essentials (well-being of human: food, medicine, shelter) will be fulfilled by self-sustaining robots. My friend is worried that with all the free time and resources human beings will dedicate ourselves to the endless pursuits of pleasure and continue the destruction to our earth, instead when robots are doing all our work.
What could be a better outcome (”better” when compared to the current state of humanity) after we lose our jobs to robots?
Here's my utopia vision when all things are automated (meaning that every gathering of resources and productions can be run by themselves):
- every basic resources and utility will be free (just like you use google for free);
- the concept, or the existence of money, will no longer be relevant as there will be little trading when most of the things are free;
- people, when not forced by economic pressure, will not engage in activities that are strictly for money (you won't produce a fancy gadget to make money, or massage others for money, you do it because you want to, totally out of will, as you can't sell it for money) (e.g. imagine mutually-agreed sexual activities vs. prostitution);
- things created by people out of will (or products produced with very limited resources) will become the only scarcity. Since they are limited in quantity, a way to balance demand-supply is required, a fair system to determine who needs it the most has to emerge (and since fairness is essential to determine a person's worthiness, maybe along with this judging system there will a new "currency" that measures a person's contribution to community, but this “fair” system should not allow this “currency of goodness” to function as true currency as it is today which incentivizes accumulation of it.);
- Also, since this class of goods and services be limited in quantity, the concept of permanent ownership will be gone, people can only keep things for as long as they need.
Just a thought to share and to elicit criticisms that get us closer to the answer.