Automation and Culture in America
“25% of all current jobs in America will be automated by 2030” from Bain Insights.
A few years ago I was driving to Spokane from Seattle with my father in-law and we were discussing the future of America. The need for a cultural shift in Americans and for the next evolutionary step to our form of capitalism. With automation and AI just around the corner our already outdated and failed version of capitalism will collapse if we don’t evolve. We’re already behind the curve but it’s better to start now then just do nothing.
You can create new jobs but those will most likely be increasingly specialized until they too are automated. Our current tax system is flawed. If a corporation invests in automation it not only gets to reduce its costs on labor but can avoid paying any taxes toward American infrastructure (see Apple).
I’ve read a lot of material and arguments for a solution, the common theme from the brightest minds around the world seems to be that humans will migrate more towards art and philanthropic tasks and let robots and AI handle everything else. The difference in opinion seems to be centered on how to sustain that. Some have argued for a Universal Basic Income, others a form of Social Currency where you get paid in hours spent for your philanthropy (my wife’s old babysitting co-op did this idea of time-banking is not new). Others have flat out said socialism or communism. The point is our current economical model will fail there is no doubting that, just a matter of when.
There is one individual who at least is talking about this and that is Andrew Yang. That’s more than anyone else is doing as they seem to be pre-occupied with what someone said on Twitter. I personally think his form of UBI is meant to ease the transition into a new economical model but obviously not enough to sustain our current lifestyles. I don’t know enough about him yet to say that I’m going to vote for him.
What I will say is that everyone should be thinking about the future and the world our kids will grow up in. What is that going to look like and how can we make it a better place than it is now?
