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Lumifer comments on A thought on AI unemployment and its consequences - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: Stuart_Armstrong 18 August 2014 12:10PM

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Comment author: Lumifer 27 August 2014 04:26:52PM 2 points [-]

The Industrial Revolution led to the creation of new jobs that were still low skill jobs.

Um, I don't think that's true. I am not sure what do you mean by "low skill", though. To clarify, let me make my statement stronger: up till now technological progress did not lead to massive unemployment. Do you think that new jobs created during, say, the last 30 years are "still low skill jobs"?

I don't know a single example of technological progress starting from early metallurgy (bronze, etc.) which led to massive unemployment. Do you really think it's all just good luck?

Comment author: Jiro 27 August 2014 05:53:10PM 2 points [-]

I don't know a single example of technological progress starting from early metallurgy (bronze, etc.) which led to massive unemployment. Do you really think it's all just good luck?

It's good luck in the sense that it's accidental and not essential to technological progress. It's not good luck in the sense of being based on a random element that could have turned out another way.

I suggest that earlier forms of technological progress shift the available jobs in a way which increases the level of skill needed for the new jobs (in comparison to the old jobs) by much less than later forms of technological progress do.