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by lelanthran 180 days ago
I'm skeptical of claims like this.

After all, you can go and be a goat herder right now, and yet you are presumably not doing this.

Nothing is stopping you being a goat herder - the place that is paying you for solving business problems will continue just fine if you leave, after all. Your presence there is not required.
1 comments
sallveburrpi 180 days ago
See my replies below - as often on HN you assume too much and construct a made up person to get mad at:

- first the place that is paying me to solve problems will NOT be just fine when I suddenly leave

- second I need UBI or some AI-enabled utopia to be ushered in to live comfortably as goat herder

- third I do have a concrete plan to get out, but it will take me a couple of years to realise

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lelanthran 180 days ago
> - first the place that is paying me to solve problems will NOT be just fine when I suddenly leave

Yes they will!

No one, not even the chief officers or the shareholders of a company are irreplaceable. Well, maybe you're the only tech guy in a 5-company outfit?

They'll replace you just fine.

> - second I need UBI or some AI-enabled utopia to be ushered in to live comfortably as goat herder

Well, that's not really relevant to your assertion, is it?

>>> I really really hope an AI will do this work and solve all the “business problems” so I can go and be a goat herder

After all, UBI as an outcome is not dependent on AI solving all the business problems you currently solve.

IOW, whether UBI comes to pass or not is completely independent of "AI takes our jobs".

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sallveburrpi 180 days ago
The chief officers and/or shareholders are probably the ones who are the most replaceable….

AI utopia is not needed for UBI that is true - but it will be much easier to become reality if “all the jobs” are taken.

Aside from all the snark - I think that the fundamental societal problem is that there will always be some shitty jobs that no one wants to do and there needs to be some system to force some people to do these jobs - call it capitalism, communism, or marriage. There is no way around this basic fact of the human condition

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