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Re:AI and Communism: Narratives of AI Behind the Iron Curtain by whatshisface on Sunday July 04, 2021 @02:36PM (#27731669)
Centralized control works out OK in retail because if an evil madman seizes power over Walmart everyone can go to Target instead.
Re:AI and Communism: Narratives of AI Behind the Iron Curtain by betwixthewires on Sunday July 04, 2021 @03:01PM (#27731835)
Yup, this is a very important point to be made. Central planning works very well when there is free association, that is, there is a market for people to pick organizations to associate with. A failure by planners leads to people quitting working there, downsizing, less business, all things that cannot happen in an organization where there's no alternative for people, such as a nation state. There is no low friction feedback mechanism for a state that enables it to reorganize as needed, mainly because we don't get to decide what state we are a citizen of.
Re:AI and Communism: Narratives of AI Behind the Iron Curtain by dundarious on Sunday July 04, 2021 @03:59PM (#27732173)
Walmart is arguably already a private unaccountable tyranny that has seized near complete market control in many, many locations. Again, the criticisms and potential solutions cut both ways.
Re:AI and Communism: Narratives of AI Behind the Iron Curtain by wcarss on Sunday July 04, 2021 @04:20PM (#27732309)
Interesting. That implies an authoritarian dictatorship is necessary for central planning -- what reason is there that democratically elected representatives cannot operate centralized systems of resource procurement/management/allocation?

Also, aren't Walmart and Amazon technically run democratically by their shareholders? Wouldn't the remedy for a madman running Walmart be a replacement elected by the board?