Technology Advances, Government Should Too

We must enable the workforce to adapt to advances, not hinder its progress

Om Malik, writing for The New Yorker, put Silicon Valley on blast for lacking empathy. His argument was not that technology companies are heartless, but merely self-centered — living in a bubble where they lack awareness of the common people who their designs are affecting.

One such example is the Otto autonomous truck, which recently made it’s first 120-mile beer run. As Malik writes:

this truck gon’ steal your job. http://ot.to/

From a technological standpoint it was a jaw-dropping achievement, accompanied by predictions of improved highway safety. From the point of view of a truck driver with a mortgage and a kid in college, it was a devastating “oh, shit” moment. […] Eliminating the need for truck drivers doesn’t just affect those millions of drivers; it has a ripple effect on ancillary services like gas stations, motels, and retail outlets; an entire economic ecosystem could break down.

That’s an absolutely fair parallel, but it is not without historical precedent. This is how technology works:

1. Advances in technology replace existing methods of production.
2. New industries are created.
3. The workforce adapts, economies grow.

Take Johannes Gutenberg for example. Back in the mid-1400s Gutenberg debuted a wild-ass invention that rocked the world: the printing press. Now several hundred years later, it’s considered one of the most influential technological advancements in human history. It facilitated the mass-circulation of information and ideas, effectively and permanently altering the structure of society. It transformed economies, creating entirely new industries in printing, publishing and media.

Imma let you finish, but Guttenberg also had one of the best beards of all time. Of all time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Gutenberg

However, the long-term benefits were difficult for many to foresee and this revolutionary invention was not heralded by everyone. In the Ottoman Empire, the printing press was met with harsh resistance by the scribe industry, where scribes and calligraphers feared for their jobs. Many Turkish intellectuals clung to the tradition of ornate texts, which were not possible by printing press at the time.

This resulted in the printing press being adopted by the Ottomans 290 years too late, leaving the Empire out of the renaissance and causing its gradual decline.

Ottoman intellectuals, who were keen on aesthetics, enjoyed books written with elegant handwriting and whose ink shined, along with edges that were ornamented with golden gilt and covers that were made with care. Reading books was not only a necessity, but also a pleasure. Besides, there were many calligraphy artists who copied plenty of books rapidly. All these people could be out of a job. On top of that, those who were keen on books belonged to a certain class, just as today.

source: Daily Sabah

Slowing the advance of technology to cling to existing industries is a foolish pursuit. The challenge is to be able to adapt to technologically-driven shifts of the economy in an expeditious and humane way. But that burden is not on Silicon Valley — it’s on Washington.

Obviously, it’s unconscionable to allow those left behind by technology to be left to adapt or die. This is exactly why many governments throughout Europe and the rest of world have been hard at work implementing policies such as universal healthcare, affordable education, basic income, etc.

Quick Aside: It should be noted that these ideas aren’t new or un-American. For example, Thomas Paine, one of America’s Founding Fathers, was a vocal advocate of basic income back in the 1790s.

With such policies in place, workers that are displaced by shifting economies and automation are in a much better spot. Losing your job as a truck driver is much less catastrophic if it doesn’t also mean losing your healthcare. When education or training is affordable and accessible, the displaced fossil fuel worker can choose to learn a new trade in green energy.

A reasonable social safety net in place enables the means for a workforce to adapt at the rapid pace of technology. Technology can do its own thing. It’s government that needs to better.

Thanks for reading! I’m Jim Silverman, the product designer behind MeetMidway. You can follow me on Medium, Twitter, or Dribbble.