Foxconn replaces 60,000 factory workers with robots

[helius]

Where does this obtuse idea about "overcoming their programming" come from?
You can't overcome your own programming. Why should a computer be able to.

[nctnico]

Isn't this a discussion which has been going on for more than a century? Despite all the automated production methods there have never been more people on this world and economic growth is something you can take for granted on a larger timescale. Like the law of preservation of energy there is also a law of preservation of problems. New production methods will introduce new possibilities and also many new problems to solve by people.
The biggest problem is people don't like change and are way too set in their old ways.

[xrunner]

Where does this obtuse idea about "overcoming their programming" come from?
You can't overcome your own programming. Why should a computer be able to.

Maybe they can evolve like we did?

[helius]

"We" (you and I) didn't and won't evolve. The genes that we are temporary hosts for did.
Carry that idea to computers and you have genetic algorithms, which are basically a complete failure. (no better than random search)

[apis]

Where does this obtuse idea about "overcoming their programming" come from?
You can't overcome your own programming. Why should a computer be able to.

If you think it is possible to create an artificial intelligence (AI) it's inevitable that either a human purposely decides to give his creation free will or that he mistakenly does so (programmers make mistakes all the time). Then ask yourself if it's possible to make such an AI more intelligent than a human, that would mean it could understand and change it's own programming for one thing. Then consider all the robotic platforms that are being developed right now, for the military for example, and that in the future they will be controlled by more and more sophisticated programs... someone is going to start putting AI:s into them since it will give them an edge... 

[apis]

Carry that idea to computers and you have genetic algorithms, which are basically a complete failure. (no better than random search)

Not true, for example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolved_antenna

[3db]

"We" (you and I) didn't and won't evolve. The genes that we are temporary hosts for did.
Carry that idea to computers and you have genetic algorithms, which are basically a complete failure. (no better than random search)

Society "people" do evolve .
Take a look at the USA ( for example)  40-50 years ago and tell me that the current mindset is the same.
WE ARE OUR GENES plus a bit of programming !!

[Marco]

Carry that idea to computers and you have genetic algorithms, which are basically a complete failure. (no better than random search)

That's optimal for random problems

[JPortici]

Or alternate reading: "60,000 humans freed up from doing robotic work to pursue more human tasks."

Also nobody's expressing their relief because before there were 60000 people underpaid, working in terrible condition in an unsafe environment.. and now they don't anymore!

[RGB255_0_0]

The Chinese government should start worrying. 60k, then 600k, 6m. This will create anarchy that will overthrow the powers that control China.

Job creation, and thus wealth, is what is keeping the status quo there; what's happened with students in Hong Kong will be but a fly in a room when the wasps nest breaks.

[Marco]

Production creates wealth, not jobs perse.

[SL4P]

One lighter aspect of this spiral, is the future elite - don't know how or what work to do.
The factories and automation will slowly grind to a halt... until the elite can replace themselves with automatons - programmed by those that 'used to' do the actual work!

[RGB255_0_0]

Production creates wealth, not jobs perse.

Creates wealth for the elite. Growing an economy relies on the jobs.

[dannyf]

"If everyone is replaced by robots, who exactly is going to be buying the goods and services these machines produce?"

That's thee communist utopia where one doesn't need to work but works for the pleasure. Obviously, that's only possible where productivity of the whole society iss sufficiently high and resources are plentiful.

[xrunner]

"If everyone is replaced by robots, who exactly is going to be buying the goods and services these machines produce?"

That's thee communist utopia where one doesn't need to work but works for the pleasure. Obviously, that's only possible where productivity of the whole society iss sufficiently high and resources are plentiful.

Well that's right. The Earth is chock full of resources. The Sun is far from burning out. Why do human beings get hired by companies? Why do they get paid to do things at all?

It's because there are still no machines that can do what a person can do in many sorts of jobs. But that is quickly changing. As I've said, give it enough time, and there will be androids with human level AI and possible even more powerful. Then, why would a company hire a person to do a job, when the android can do it better, faster, and won't call in sick or pregnant.

It will happen. It will. And when that happens, society is going to have to face a very big dilemma. Either outlaw robots so people can have a purpose, or let the robots provide all goods and services and learn to enjoy leisure, living under the Providers.

[nuno]

Population size will have to decrease.

[zapta]

I believe the limiting factor is available potable water.

People believed that long distance communication is limited by the speed of a running horse and thata phone system growth is limited by the number of people that switch the wires.

The future is not limited by our current technology.

[rx8pilot]

Population size will have to decrease.

True if nothing else changes. It's time for all of humanity to get creative. Very creative.

[SkyMaster]

Everybody should watch the following:


Arithmetic, Population and Energy, by Dr. Albert A. Bartlett




A Crude Awaking - The Oilcrash



 

[xrunner]

A good short read on the robotic future coming -

Robotic Nation

[zapta]

Still waiting for the first AI forum member here.

[xrunner]

Still waiting for the first AI forum member here.

Maybe it is already here.

How would you be able to tell?

[zapta]

Still waiting for the first AI forum member here.

Maybe it is already here.

How would you be able to tell?

By definition it need to be intelligent

[sarepairman2]

it depends on what you make. a trained workforce thats not retarded means you can make highly customized products with greater ease, allowing for more satisfied customers.

a braindead work force (however large) means you need an army of managers and quality people. not to mention design becomes much harder because you need to account for unskilled labor assembling things. You cant count on a clever assembler to "make due", you need to account for every. stupid. detail.

if you don't make revisions, need some thing massively produced and lack morals.. you can probobly get away with using china zombies.

and then you need to deal with china. this means two management teams communicating in broken English, probobly offsite repairs, time delay. this will turn into a stressful balancing act. kind of like communicating with people on mars lol

[apis]

Population size will have to decrease.

The human population will stabilize around 10-11 billion. If we use to much resources/yr then you can either try limit population size or you can limit resource use per capita.