Socialism for the rich. I’m less inclined to think that there will be a sudden collapse of white collar jobs and more of the usual: increased productivity for workers who will realize none of the gains, but be simply asked to do more work per hour. In other words fewer jobs will be created while workers are pushed closer and closer to total burnout. The question is will white collar workers have enough and organize against this once and for all?
Labor share of income has been declining for decades as capital share rises. The baseline argument is just that AI will increase this spread, and attack labor's leverage even more than previous technological revolutions.
In a capitalist society the state protects the moneyed (Epstein) class. In a socialist society the state protects its people and nature *against* the exploitative tendencies of the rich and powerful. Which is why socialist leaders are often branded as "aUThoRitaRiaN". I ask, authoritarian towards WHO? towards workers, no. Towards capitalists? yes!
'The rich are asked only to act in their own best interests. In doing so, they are just following capitalism’s incentives, like everyone else. You can’t judge them for that, can you?'
I’ve been thinking about the AI question and how it seems like unions are entirely unprepared for its effects on their members as it gets much much more capable. Okay, maybe SAG-AFTRA and WGA are thinking about it.
It might be interesting, Hamilton, for you to do a tour of major unions and talk with them about this question of preparation. Like, what is their alternative to machine-smashing?
There is a wide variety of approaches and threats depending on industry but the unions are thinking about it. I did a panel at Labor Notes 2024 on this exact topic with nurses, longshoremen, writers, and others.
I don't think the better focus is on greed and corruption. These have been spiraling. It just happens to be in a capitalist system. Aristotle noted that greed is a contagion. We need to build a control system that prevents greed from hijacking the economic system. One thing I would like to see in a system is the re-enforcement of anti-trust laws. Companies have become too big and too powerful, which translates into their leaders being too powerful.
It will take a citizens movement to force the upper class to accept responsibility for their actions and to implement the changes required. For a citizens movement with a plan and macro solution see www.informedcitizens.com
As the capitalists have been saying for decades about burning fossil fuels... if everything gets totally fucked from this, well that's OK because "some" technology will come along to fix it. Well, look at the technology - at their hands - that did come along: AI. Now the assholes are saying - and many really are - that AI will solve ALL of our problems. Including problems it creates, presumably, because it will be smarter than us. Ironic that this is kind of an admission of how actually fucking dumb they are, right now, and they apparently recognize it? There is always an excuse for behaving badly NOW, and that is that LATER it will all be OK. Ya just gotta have Faith In The System, right? The faith that short term plunder will always, eventually, lead to some kind of imagined egalitarian or utopian outcome. Outcome right now vs. a few decades ago? Hmmm, not so good.
Socialism for the rich. I’m less inclined to think that there will be a sudden collapse of white collar jobs and more of the usual: increased productivity for workers who will realize none of the gains, but be simply asked to do more work per hour. In other words fewer jobs will be created while workers are pushed closer and closer to total burnout. The question is will white collar workers have enough and organize against this once and for all?
What was maybe most illuminating about the Citadel quote was their assertion that “capital”
income would continue to grow even as “wage”
income collapsed. The implication being that big tech would not suffer from AI job loss. How reassuring…..
Labor share of income has been declining for decades as capital share rises. The baseline argument is just that AI will increase this spread, and attack labor's leverage even more than previous technological revolutions.
In a capitalist society the state protects the moneyed (Epstein) class. In a socialist society the state protects its people and nature *against* the exploitative tendencies of the rich and powerful. Which is why socialist leaders are often branded as "aUThoRitaRiaN". I ask, authoritarian towards WHO? towards workers, no. Towards capitalists? yes!
'The rich are asked only to act in their own best interests. In doing so, they are just following capitalism’s incentives, like everyone else. You can’t judge them for that, can you?'
Yup
Fear not – the economic gains will trickle down!
I’ve been thinking about the AI question and how it seems like unions are entirely unprepared for its effects on their members as it gets much much more capable. Okay, maybe SAG-AFTRA and WGA are thinking about it.
It might be interesting, Hamilton, for you to do a tour of major unions and talk with them about this question of preparation. Like, what is their alternative to machine-smashing?
There is a wide variety of approaches and threats depending on industry but the unions are thinking about it. I did a panel at Labor Notes 2024 on this exact topic with nurses, longshoremen, writers, and others.
I don't think the better focus is on greed and corruption. These have been spiraling. It just happens to be in a capitalist system. Aristotle noted that greed is a contagion. We need to build a control system that prevents greed from hijacking the economic system. One thing I would like to see in a system is the re-enforcement of anti-trust laws. Companies have become too big and too powerful, which translates into their leaders being too powerful.
It will take a citizens movement to force the upper class to accept responsibility for their actions and to implement the changes required. For a citizens movement with a plan and macro solution see www.informedcitizens.com
The “Me” generation?
This post is one of the best of recent times because it requires rethinking various assumptions. Thank you
These “let them eat cake” moments tend to lead to certain eventualities.
This is why salary caps in sports are dumb. Oddly and ironically enough, EUROPE figured that out!
As the capitalists have been saying for decades about burning fossil fuels... if everything gets totally fucked from this, well that's OK because "some" technology will come along to fix it. Well, look at the technology - at their hands - that did come along: AI. Now the assholes are saying - and many really are - that AI will solve ALL of our problems. Including problems it creates, presumably, because it will be smarter than us. Ironic that this is kind of an admission of how actually fucking dumb they are, right now, and they apparently recognize it? There is always an excuse for behaving badly NOW, and that is that LATER it will all be OK. Ya just gotta have Faith In The System, right? The faith that short term plunder will always, eventually, lead to some kind of imagined egalitarian or utopian outcome. Outcome right now vs. a few decades ago? Hmmm, not so good.