The ChatGPT effect: programmers aren’t going to make it
This is post #4 in a my daily installment of Tweets that I find interesting. If you like this article don’t forget to activate the follow button, or have a look at my long-form content that’s only available on Substack.
One of Twitter’s best features is that it gives you an opportunity to talk to people with experience in a given industry, in this case someone who fires humans and replaces them with tech.
This conversation happened based on a Tweet which claimed that Amazon programmers are already using ChatGPT to help them code faster. I posed the question: if ChatGPT makes a programmer 10% more productive does that mean the company is glad to get more work done for the same pay, or do they fire 10% of the workforce and get the same amount of work done for 10% less pay? Well, you saw the answer…
One of the most fascinating aspects of ChatGPT is that it’s going to cause job losses amongst white collar workers. Typically the blue collar workers have gotten the raw end of the deal as their manufacturing jobs have gotten shipped over to China and Mexico, but this time it’s going to be the college educated class that feels the worst effects of automation.
The 2020s have already been extremely volatile, but I think we’re only in the first inning. As white collar workers lose their jobs they’re going to petition the government to take action. They may demand taxes on companies that employ ChatGPT, or government sponsored UBI for people who can’t find a job anymore.
Whatever the case may be, I’m expecting even more social conflict in the years to come. Plan accordingly.
