Forget the AI job apocalypse. AI’s real threat is worker control and surveillance

First we are ‘replaced’ (fired for quarterly profits) then we are told we’re ‘allowed’ (forced) to come back but under ’new management’ (AI control and surveillance).

Westworld was just getting into our AI overlords and it got canceled. Man I miss that show. I personally feel the last 2 seasons were the best.

analysts, consultants, lawyers, academics, managers. In these jobs, provided AI is being rolled out to augment workers rather than replace them, it can feel like a copilot. It can support human judgment, speed up routine tasks and create space for more creative thinking.

Oof, no.

Nobody wants to hire that lawyer that makes dumber decisions because they use AI. Same for all other jobs. I hired you because you’re a human.

This is definitely it’s primar use for capitalist profits. The productivity gains are definitely being sold this way in connection with the growing fascism. Capital would still be seeking this if we had a Liberal in the white house, don’t get me wrong, but with this current admin essentially a guarantee of modern slavery.

However, the this is not the main use of AI currently or it’s short term objectives. That, is in weapons and warfare. Gaza was just the beginning. AI’s most useful ability is the equivalent of why the Nazis changed from firing squads to gas chambers. Efficiency in killing, yes, but also being able to completely disconnect the Nazis soldiers from any feelings of empathy or remorse. Now, we have an “intelligent” feelingless commander that allows even the highest ranking military officials to offload their moral judgements to these “98%” match results for targets they are told are dangerous. And of course we gotta carpet bomb the entire building they are in. And 2nd and 3rd strike when people come to help.

It’s not about getting the “bad guys” though. It’s just a really good way to convince your grunts to kill as many people as they can as quickly as possible.

Lies of technology are being used for mass murder methods. This is the far more concerning and pressing matter our world is facing. We MUST focus on both of these things together. What we are seeing with AI in the workplace or with ICE is just Imperialism coming back home. We cannot fight one and not the other. Because if we don’t; they WILL use the warfare methods to stop any domestic groups that resist their enslavement.

Multiple things can be true at once. I will not forget ANY of the myriad facets of evil threats posed by AI, I will stack them in building the lead weight I tether it to to drown it in the metaphorical river. Ideally a river of shit and piss.

Boss can’t surveil me if I can’t get a job, so..

Catching up to analysis from four years ago, I see.

Revenge of the Chickenized Reverse-Centaurs

I mean yes, but also no

The job apocalypse is absolutely not something to forget.

It’s a much greater threat given it will require us to change the world economic system to one that doesn’t require everyone to have a job to survive. The alternative? Everyone in slums and poverty.

The media will be desperate to point you to anything other than that because it’s an existential threat to their owners.

A little surprising to see this from the Guardian given they have a different ownership model to most outlets, but I guess it’s a good reminder that all media will defend money if push comes to shove

I hope this discussion will gain some more mainstream traction, because it’s the more immediate threat or practice, while not nearly being addressed sufficiently. The only thing I fundamentally disagree with, is the perceived notion, that the lack of transparency is the problem. The fact that these systems are in place is the problem: stop collecting excessive personal data on your workers (which depend on their jobs for an income), and all the problems magically disappear; without ambiguity.

I’m of the opinion that “private” property, which structurally invites the public (including workers), shouldn’t classify as “private” property, and be subject to much stricter regulations on deployment of surveillance systems. It’s not ethically justifiable, for people to be forced, to subject themselves to surveillance, simply to be able to make a living and buy food for themselves. Advances in technology have made it so, that surveillance tech is no longer compatible with modern society: supervisors (including law-enforcement) got to greedy, and now it’s (hopefully) coming to bite them in the ass.

Yeah, what do you think all the data centers are for? AI chat bots?

Still wrong. It’s control and surveilance of everyone.