Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Chinese factory replaces 90% of human workers with robots. Production rises by 250%
Zme Science ^

Posted on 02/05/2017 1:37:59 AM PST by TigerClaws

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-113 next last
To: Fai Mao

“Machines, robots will create Hell on Earth”

Ironically, the device you typed or spoke the above text with is a machine or what could be considered a robot.

Advances in technology should never stop or be limited.


21 posted on 02/05/2017 2:43:16 AM PST by Timpanagos1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1
I'm not arguing for slowing down technology and technological change. I'm just saying putting your head in the sand about the # of good jobs elimination in the last 15 years and where this appears to be headed could lead to massive social unrest. 94% of jobs in the last 8 years have been part time jobs and most of the 6% of FT jobs aren't high quality ones - and virtually all of the income gains in the last 30 years have gone to the top 25%, and most in the top 5% - and this will likely accelerate in the next 20, 30 years.

The difference between humans building robots and past waves of tech prove my point. To be a human engineer designing robots you probably need an IQ of at least 115 - that means ~85% of the population couldn't do that job even if they wanted it. Meanwhile - people with an IQ of 85 could make a decent pay on a manufacturing assembly line 40 years ago.

22 posted on 02/05/2017 2:47:13 AM PST by rb22982
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: Fai Mao
Basically the idea is that robots do the work and the government pays you a certain amount for the robot’s production.

No.

You use robots to help you in your 22nd century private sector job. Kinda like farmers using machines in their 20th century jobs. Which resulted in hordes of clod hoppers losing their jobs and having to go find work in the cities, as many fewer farmers produced the produce of many more.

If you are resourceful, you likely own multiple robots and coordinate their labor with your clients or customers.

If you are exceptional, you invent new robots or find new ways to apply existing robots. You go public. You franchise your robot intellectual property. You become part of the one percent.

As for the government, only those who pay in more than they take out should be allowed to vote.

23 posted on 02/05/2017 2:56:13 AM PST by cynwoody
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

I use to be a telephone operator, there were hundreds working at any given time....that job has been long gone.


24 posted on 02/05/2017 2:58:54 AM PST by tuffydoodle ("Never underestimate the total depravity of the average human being.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wita

What if the robots decide they aren’t getting a fair deal on taxes ;) and refuse to pay.


25 posted on 02/05/2017 3:00:58 AM PST by Degaston
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: rb22982

At almost any point in time since the industrial Revolution, a person could say, “40 years ago certain people could survive and succeed in the economy and now they could not.” However, while it may be painful for some, the market always corrects and there are net gains.

And yes, things have changed. Forty years ago there were working class neighborhoods with high rates of home ownership and now not many such communities exist.

I grew up in what was a working class neighborhood. My neighbors owned their home, had five kids, all in Catholic School and the father delivered newspapers and the mother was a checker at a grocery store.

That would be impossible today.


26 posted on 02/05/2017 3:01:56 AM PST by Timpanagos1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1

Just give everyone $15/hr/problem solved.


27 posted on 02/05/2017 3:07:23 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET (urope. Why do they put up with this.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1
Again, past tech revolutions created millions of good middle class jobs for low/average IQ people in addition to high IQ people. You could re-train people since the skills needed weren't that complicated. You can't take a cashier or an assembly line worker that's job has just been eliminated due to automation and "retrain them" as a robotics engineer or a SQL programmer - they simply don't have the intelligence for it. Second, past waves of tech created new industries (cars vs horse carriage). With robots, you aren't creating a new industry really - just replacing the labor that needs to occur with even cheaper labor (robots) - sure this creates very high IQ jobs to design and maintain the robots but doesn't help joe six pack much.

Once robots and automation started eliminated massive numbers of jobs that you need a full standard deviation above the norm from to be employed today, people like you and I will feel some pain - fortunately for us that's probably long after we're done working. But in the meantime, wage pressure for the bottom 50% is likely occur massively over the next 30 years and moderately for the next 25%. A UBI is the only real solution to the problem long term - but it is a long term problem that can be addressed later. Halting/reversing illegal immigration and adding a border tax would probably delay by 10, 15 years this impact in the US.

28 posted on 02/05/2017 3:15:51 AM PST by rb22982
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1

The only problem in your analysis is that advancing technology requires a more educated workforce and in the US our schools are failing us.


29 posted on 02/05/2017 3:19:09 AM PST by monocle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1

Advances in technology have never caused net job losses.


No, but standards of living have gone up while the average number of hours worked has decreased.

Maybe we will get the 30 hour week? How about a 3.5 day work week, with two shifts of workers in a week to give seven day coverage?


30 posted on 02/05/2017 3:28:52 AM PST by marktwain (We wanted to tell our side of the story. We hope by us telling our story...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1
> “Technology is about to cause a huge labor disruption - from self driving cars to robot-worker factories. Millions will be out of work.”

Well at least those liberals got their $15 minimum wage.../s

Serves 'em right...

31 posted on 02/05/2017 3:37:52 AM PST by jsanders2001
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Timpanagos1

This is different.


32 posted on 02/05/2017 3:40:28 AM PST by Dave W
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: rb22982
> No - basically it’d be like social security for everyone. You can still work and receive income from a job while receiving social security. The general idea is it would replace all other forms of welfare. It’s too expensive at this point to do but *if* 50-70% of net jobs are eliminated over the next 50, 100 years due to automation/robotics - governments will be forced to provide one or face revolution.

I'm guessing "robot repair tech" will be a job in high demand pretty soon. Unless they invent robots that wil do that too or self-repairing robots.

33 posted on 02/05/2017 3:40:35 AM PST by jsanders2001
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

So what are 900 million Chinese going to do everyday if their factories are run by robots?


34 posted on 02/05/2017 3:41:08 AM PST by silverleaf (Age takes a toll: Please have exact change)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: silverleaf
So what are 900 million Chinese going to do everyday if their factories are run by robots?

Xi Jinping's problem. No ours.

Our goal should be to build even better robots, export them to the Chinese, and make it a billion Chinese out of work!

35 posted on 02/05/2017 3:51:29 AM PST by cynwoody
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

They forgot one important job loss.
The union BOSS!


36 posted on 02/05/2017 4:12:41 AM PST by rwoodward ("god, guns and more ammo")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: jsanders2001

Maybe people could just NOT buy the stuff made by robots?


37 posted on 02/05/2017 4:29:00 AM PST by VanDeKoik
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

Robots will do the jobs that Americans won’t do.


38 posted on 02/05/2017 4:32:06 AM PST by Revolutionary ("Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: rb22982

There will be two levels in society. Upper Class and Poverty Class. Note I did not say Lower, I said poverty class. We’re seeing that shift now, but what Americans in particular are not ‘seeing’ is how the immigration issue rolls right into this challenge.

Let’s look at those “jobs Americans won’t do” for a minute. Remember when that was what we were told? Welfare recipients won’t do what jobs? Landscape, construction, vocational type jobs...so who is doing those jobs? Those jobs are not going to go away. We talk about immigrants taking jobs away, but who is willing to do those jobs? Yes, it is a bit of a circular argument isn’t it?

And if this is the future of factory jobs, what does it do to President Trump’s agenda to bring back good paying factory jobs to America? Perhaps this is a good example of why we should charge a 30% tariff on imports? Something needs to go the a UBI.

Will this technology give way or lead the way to full blown socialism? Those of lower IQ won’t have work?

Education, training, retraining....for what jobs? We see even service jobs falling to the robot/automated economy. It is a troubling prospect indeed. We have always leaped forward...we just don’t quite know where that leap is going this time.


39 posted on 02/05/2017 4:32:29 AM PST by EBH (As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: TigerClaws

I’ve been programming and maintaining industrial “robots” since 1988 and am very good at it. When robots rule the world, people like me will rule the robots. Bwah-hahahaha.


40 posted on 02/05/2017 4:36:56 AM PST by Bryanw92 (If we had some ham, we could have ham and eggs, if we had some eggs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 101-113 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson