[schnitzelstoat]

I agree on the first two points.

On the third point, I think we've always seen this happen even in massive shocks like the Industrial Revolution (and the Second Industrial Revolution with assembly lines etc. and the Computer Age)

It might be hard for people to retrain to whatever the new opportunities are though. Although perhaps somewhat easier nowadays with the internet etc.

[kranke155]

The Industrial Revolution was a period of massive economic growth that was coupled with decline in the quality of life of the average worker.

This Economist article talks about how looking at the historical data, historians now see that the height of the average Englishman actually went down due to malnutrition. https://web.archive.org/web/20210905065401/https://www.econo...

The myth that the Industrial Revolution was a wonderful time is just that, a myth. The actual reality of the AI revolution will likely be the same. Record number of billionaires and record number of people in deep poverty at the same time.

[gazook89]

Do people really think the Industrial Revolution was “a wonderful time”? Basically the first thought to comes to mind for me is massive migration to urban centers, along with huge amount of poverty and squalid living conditions and disassociation with your own labor. I feel like that was basically what was taught to me in High School too, not like some recently learned insight.

And I agree with you. Further, the argument about economic prosperity isn’t equal for everyone. And increased worker efficiency isn’t directly (or sometimes at all) linked to worker satisfaction or even increased wages.

[kranke155]

I’ve heard some people say it. That economic disruption doesn’t matter because “all the pieces fall into place” eventually and the Industrial Revolution being an example.

[j_maffe]

Well, yeah but right now we're reaping many benefits from the industrial revolution. Malnutrition for sure. Not saying it's the same as the AI boom though.

[beepbooptheory]

The industrial revolution didn't lay everyone off, it just made everyone's jobs worse in every possible sense.

[visarga]

I don't think many would switch current life with pre-industrial life. You are idealising the past and discounting the present

[beepbooptheory]

Not trying to value life in general at all, just the nature of the jobs. You might reply "distinction without a difference," and well, the fact that you'd think so would be one of my points about the labor ;).

Personally, preindustrial life sounds pretty rough, but its all just apples and oranges! The future will continue to happen, to critique the present and how we got here is not to exhort the past (unless, you know, you are a particularly conservative person I guess).

[visarga]

One thing AI is good at is explaining things, we can retrain faster and better with it.