Re:DeepMind’s AlphaCode Conquers Coding, Performing as Well ...
by exceptione on Thursday December 15, 2022 @07:57PM
(#34008081)
> Lack of meaningful work
When "having a job" replaces being a "member of the community", this definitely becomes a problem. People seek affirmation, relying on work to get it provides for a flimsy basis.
Re:DeepMind’s AlphaCode Conquers Coding, Performing as Well ...
by jimbokun on Thursday December 15, 2022 @08:04PM
(#34008134)
Being a member of a community has always implied having a useful role to fulfill in that community. Hunting, gathering, caring for children, healer, priest, leader, storyteller.
AI and robotics is on course to automate all those things. Then how will we define our roles in our communities?
Re:DeepMind’s AlphaCode Conquers Coding, Performing as Well ...
by exceptione on Thursday December 15, 2022 @08:08PM
(#34008171)
Helping your neighbor with a repair, taking care of their children, doing some chores, organize a survival weekend. Those are not job titles, but things you could do.
Re:DeepMind’s AlphaCode Conquers Coding, Performing as Well ...
by ravi-delia on Thursday December 15, 2022 @11:26PM
(#34010203)
It's pretty clear historically that this is contingent on other factors- landed aristocrats seemed mostly fine, and it's suspicious to me that these deaths of despair happen to be increasing as street prices of opioids drop. But ultimately I don't think that matters! Even granting that people wouldn't simply occupy themselves with the same signaling games they always have, that's still a great problem to have! I mean, at a minimum anyone who really feels like doing meaningful drudgework can just go join some kind of luddite community, but I find fully automated luxury gay space communism somewhat harder to come by.
It's up there.
Lack of meaningful work is already leading to a lot of societal dysfunction. Our innate programming is to survive, solve problems, reproduce, and teach our offspring to do the same. Removing meaningful work as a source of significance and meaning for people is going to be a massive problem to solve.
Look at the rise in "depths of despair" in rich countries. Generally these people have food to eat and a roof over their head and clothes on their back, and probably even access to a lot of digital entertainment. But lacking meaningful work or defined social role they fall into depression, substance abuse, etc.