Current technological developments (robotics, artificial intelligence) and imminent socio-economic phase transition?

[acke]

I am technologist (computer science and programming) with interest in artificial (general) intelligence (including human level artificial intelligence e.g. see forthcoming even https://www.hlai-conf.org/ and superhuman artificial intelligence), robotics and automation (including soft automation, e.g. automation of law industry). And I am feeling really lonely.

From the one side I see that capitalism will not be able to handle further technological development. E.g. – what about mass unemployemnt due to robotics or due to automation of such professionas as law, accounting, psychotherapy, visual diagnostics (medicine), computational creativity and design etc. etc.? Capitalist pundits are quite calm, they are saying that humans will be able to invent new jobs and the Universal Basic Income is the most progressive idea they can invent in the best case (in the worst case they simply don't see the necessity to responde with any extraordinary instruments). But I can not believe them. Artifical intelligence is giving the exponential boost to the development and that is something that the history of humanity has not experienced before.

So – I am seeking answers to my uneasiness in the socialist and communist movements. So – from the other side I have not seen any rational response to the current technological developments by the socialists and communists. I have skimmed webpages of political parties, I have read heterodox (critical, neo-marxist) economy journals (like Cambride Journal of Economics and the only book about quantitative Marxism), but I have not seen any article that perceive the breadth of the current technological developments and that in the full earnest is starting to analyze how near we are the the possibility of the socialism.

So – let this discussion be about current socialisms, technolocial developments and estimations how near we are the socio-economic phase transition to the socialisms or even communism.

Where can I find intellectuals who are researching such topics, is there some discussion group, can I volunteer in such research work. And even more – maybe there are some technologies that are especially fruitful for the phase transition. Maybe we – the socialists – can create open-source-movement-like-movement that advances these technologies and puts then confronts the capitalism establishment with some really disruptive technologies. New kind of action for the socialists and communists?

[robbo203]

acke wrote:

 From the one side I see that capitalism will not be able to handle further technological development. E.g. – what about mass unemployemnt due to robotics or due to automation of such professionas as law, accounting, psychotherapy, visual diagnostics (medicine), computational creativity and design etc. etc.? Capitalist pundits are quite calm, they are saying that humans will be able to invent new jobs and the Universal Basic Income is the most progressive idea they can invent in the best case (in the worst case they simply don't see the necessity to responde with any extraordinary instruments). But I can not believe them. Artifical intelligence is giving the exponential boost to the development and that is something that the history of humanity has not experienced before. 

 Hi Acke.   There is quite a long thread  on the subject of  the Universal Basic Income here  that might interest you .  http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/left-and-right-unite-ubi-fight

[ALB]

Is this article any help to you?www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/socialist-standard/2010s/2013/no-1306-june-2013/will-robots-cause-capitalism-collapse

[robbo203]

There is also a book by someone who I think was or is on this forumC James Townsend, 2015, "The Singularity and Socialism: Marx, Mises, Complexity Theory. Techn-optimism and the Way to Age of Abunadance"  I havent got round to reading the book yet but the blurb on the back says this:  "From the back of the book: The Singularity & Socialism is an exhilarating fast paced read showing the points of similarity and interconnection between Classical Liberal, Marxist, and Libertarian economic ideology and Complexity Theory/Economics and how they may change with coming technological advancements. The book updates the issues and illuminates many of today’s debates allowing the reader to come to a better understanding of the surprising interrelatedness between ideologies and their eventual convergence at the event horizon of the coming Economic Singularity. The process needed for obtaining an almost zero marginal cost system is enumerated within its pages. Whether you are a: Conservative, Progressive, Libertarian, Marxist, Socialist, Transhumanist, Venus Project enthusiast or a Zeitgeist Movement follower you will greatly enjoy this well written book! If there is one book that frames the debate between the Techno-optimists/Singularitans and Sustainatopians today and transcends the argument between them, this is it! The underlying theme that this book takes up is, “what happens to our present ideological ideas about Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, Libertarianism and Conservatism when we reach the event horizon of the coming economic singularity.” When abundance breaks out, how does that change our ideas about all of our political beliefs and economic systems that were founded upon a scarcity of resources and the means to fully, efficiently produce them in a new distributed way. The almost Zero cost society is possible with the evolution of Kevin Kelly’s Technium, with a surprising convergence between the ideas found in classical liberal and traditional Marxian economics, coupled with complexity theory/economics and Techno-optimism. This work transcends the oppositional dialectics and seeks to recognize the possible convergence of all presently combative ideologies at the Omega Point we are accelerating toward."

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