Having come into the world at a time of zero plastic and no technology greater than a valve radio I have witnessed remarkable changes in how we live. With every advance in technology the pundits have claimed how this or that will make life better – from the free energy we were going to get from nuclear power to the life of endless leisure brought about by automation. While lives may have been made more comfortable for many, it would seem utopia is a long way off.
Today we have the worst gap between rich and poor, and I cannot believe that if AI takes over all work then we will all benefit. The rich minority will just get richer, and the poor majority will struggle to survive. We have no evidence that the predicted wealth will trickle down to those who don’t control that wealth. Indeed, the opposite is usually the case.
Can you imagine a future Tory government, if such there ever is, handing over large payments to those who aren’t working but don’t have any inherent wealth? Sorry to disappoint you.
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