When AI robots
take over most jobs -
What is the Future of Government?
What kind of government is needed to keep the voter
happy and
avoid riots and
revolution?
These people need to be paid, housed, fed, heated, more....
BY the government.
What specific things does Government need to do ?
In such a scenario,
the government's role would fundamentally shift
towards managing a post-work society and
ensuring the well-being of its citizens.
Here's the kind of government and
specific actions that might be necessary to
maintain voter happiness and
avoid riots and revolution in such a future
Not a time to be promoting BIGGER FAMILIES !
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Kind of Government:
A government in this scenario would likely need to
be:
 | Highly Adaptive and Forward-Thinking: Constantly
monitoring the societal and economic impacts of AI and proactively adjusting
policies. |
| Deeply Committed to Social Welfare: Prioritizing the
basic needs and well-being of all citizens, regardless of their employment
status. |
| Transparent and Participatory: Maintaining legitimacy by
ensuring citizens understand the rationale behind policies and have avenues
for input. |
| Resourceful and Innovative: Finding new ways to fund and
manage the distribution of resources in a potentially work-scarce economy. |
| Ethically Guided: Navigating the complex ethical dilemmas
posed by widespread AI and its impact on human purpose and identity. |
Specific Things the Government Would
Need to Do:
- Implement a Universal Basic Income (UBI)
or Universal Basic Services (UBS):
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UBI:
Provide a regular, unconditional cash payment to all citizens, sufficient to
cover basic living expenses (housing, food, utilities).
This ensures a basic level of economic security independent of employment.
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| UBS: Provide free access to
essential services like housing, healthcare,
education, transportation, and potentially even basic food provisions.
This directly addresses fundamental needs without relying on cash
distribution.
A combination of both might be optimal. |
Reimagine the Purpose of Human Activity:
| Invest in Education and Retraining for New Roles: Focus on skills that
complement AI, such as creativity, critical thinking, emotional
intelligence, complex problem-solving, and interpersonal skills. Support
lifelong learning initiatives. |
| Promote Arts, Culture, and Leisure: Recognize the value of non-economic
activities and provide resources and support for these pursuits. |
| Foster Civic Engagement and Volunteering: Encourage participation in
community activities and decision-making to provide a sense of purpose and
belonging. |
| Support Scientific Research and Exploration: Channel human curiosity and
drive towards expanding knowledge. |
Manage the AI Economy and Resource Distribution:
| Establish Ownership and Taxation Frameworks for AI: Determine who owns
the AI and the wealth it generates. Implement taxation policies that capture
the value created by AI to fund social programs. This could involve taxing
AI labor, AI-produced goods and services, or the profits of AI-driven
corporations. |
| Regulate AI Development and Deployment: Ensure AI is developed and used
ethically and in a way that benefits all of society, considering potential
biases and risks. |
| Manage Resource Allocation: Develop efficient and equitable systems for
distributing resources (goods, energy, etc.) produced by AI. |
Address Potential Social and Psychological Challenges:
| Provide Mental Health Support: The loss of traditional work and shifts
in social structures could lead to widespread mental health challenges.
Robust and accessible mental health services would be crucial. |
| Foster Social Connections and Community: Combat potential isolation and
loneliness by supporting community initiatives and social infrastructure. |
| Address Issues of Identity and Purpose: Help individuals find meaning
and identity in a post-work world. |
Ensure Fair Governance and Prevent Inequality:
| Strengthen Democratic Institutions: Ensure that the government remains
accountable to the people, even as the nature of work and economic power
changes. |
| Prevent the Concentration of Power: Guard against a scenario where a
small elite controls the AI and its benefits, leading to new forms of
inequality. |
| Uphold Fundamental Rights: Ensure that rights to privacy, freedom of
expression, and assembly are protected in this new technological landscape. |
Prepare for the Ethical Implications of Advanced AI:
| Establish Ethical Guidelines and Regulations: Develop frameworks to
address the ethical dilemmas posed by advanced AI, such as AI sentience (if
it arises), AI rights, and the potential for autonomous AI decision-making. |
| Promote Public Discourse on AI Ethics: Engage citizens in discussions
about the ethical implications of AI to build societal consensus. |
Avoiding Riots and Revolution:
The key to avoiding widespread unrest in this future will be ensuring that
people feel secure, valued, and have a sense of purpose.
If the government fails to adapt and allows for:
| mass unemployment, |
| poverty, and |
| a feeling of irrelevance, |
the conditions for social upheaval will
be ripe.
By proactively addressing the economic, social, psychological, and ethical
challenges posed by widespread AI automation, a government can strive to create
a stable and relatively content society, even in the absence of traditional work
for most of its citizens.
This will require a fundamental shift in perspective
about the relationship between work, value, and human well-being
SOURCE:
Policies required to aid transition - but
I doubt there will be much "Human-Robot Collaberation " !
How can any of this happen in a capitalist society?
Beyond:
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AI-taxing corporations ( who buy the politicians and
indoctrinate the voter) or
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nationalising the corporations ?
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There are inherent tensions between a capitalist
system driven by profit and the kind of large-scale social safety net and
economic restructuring needed in a future dominated by AI.
It's a challenge that might require abandoning
Capitalist Principles.
Here's a breakdown of how some of those steps could occur within
a capitalist framework, although it would likely involve significant policy
shifts and potentially challenge some core tenets:
1. AI-Taxing Corporations (and Preventing
Evasion):
| How it could happen:
Governments could implement new tax structures specifically targeting the
economic value generated by AI.
This could take several forms:
| Tax on AI Labor/Output:
Instead of taxing human labor, tax the output or productivity gains derived
from AI. This would incentivize the use of human skills where they provide
unique value.
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| Robot Tax: Tax the
deployment of robots and advanced automation technologies. This could
disincentivize overly rapid automation without considering social
consequences.
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| Digital Services Tax: Tax
revenue generated from digital services heavily reliant on AI, such as
advertising, cloud computing, and data processing.
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| Increased Corporate Income Tax:
While not solely focused on AI, increasing the general corporate income tax,
especially for highly profitable tech companies benefiting most from AI,
could generate substantial revenue.
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| Addressing Corporate Influence:
This is the major hurdle. To overcome corporate influence on politicians and
voters, several measures would be needed:
| Campaign Finance Reform:
Implement strict limits on corporate donations to political campaigns and
increase transparency in lobbying efforts.
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| Stronger Regulatory Bodies:
Empower and adequately fund regulatory agencies to oversee the development
and deployment of AI and enforce tax laws effectively.
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| Independent Oversight:
Establish independent bodies to assess the impact of AI and recommend policy
changes, reducing direct political influence.
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| Public Awareness and Engagement:
Promote public understanding of AI's economic impact and the need for fair
taxation, potentially shifting voter sentiment and creating pressure on
politicians.
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2. Nationalizing Corporations (A More
Significant Shift):
| How it could happen (within a
potentially evolving capitalism): While full-scale nationalization is
a significant departure from core capitalist principles, there could be more
nuanced approaches:
| Strategic Nationalization:
Nationalizing specific key industries heavily reliant on AI and deemed
essential for public good (e.g., energy, transportation, essential
services).
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| Public-Private Partnerships with
Strong Public Oversight: The government could partner with
corporations in critical AI sectors, retaining significant ownership stakes
and control over strategic decisions to align them with public interests.
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| "Social Wealth Funds":
Creating large, publicly owned investment funds that hold significant shares
in major corporations, allowing the government to influence corporate
behavior and distribute profits to citizens (similar to Norway's sovereign
wealth fund).
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Beyond Taxation and Nationalization:
Other Capitalist-Compatible Mechanisms:
| Universal Basic Income (UBI) with
Modified Funding:
| Fund UBI not just through general taxes but
also through levies on AI-driven productivity gains or corporate profits
directly linked to automation. This could
create a more direct link between AI's benefits and
citizen income.
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| Promoting a "Stakeholder Capitalism"
Model:
| Encourage or mandate
that corporations consider the interests of all stakeholders (employees,
communities, the environment) alongside shareholders. This could lead
to more responsible adoption of AI and a greater willingness to contribute
to social safety nets.
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Challenges:
| Ideological Resistance:
Significant resistance to increased taxation and government
intervention in the economy is likely in a capitalist society.
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| Global Competition: Nations
may be hesitant to implement policies that could make their businesses less
competitive internationally.
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| CHINA's
Communist Government is already prepared for this change
so expect devastating progress in Chinese
corporations bankrupting American corps.
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Conclusion:
Preventing social unrest will require the
government to intervene and ensure a basic standard of living:
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innovative taxation, |
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strategic government involvement in key
industries, |
all while overcoming resistance within a
capitalist framework.
Isn't the Chinese government MORE able, (by far), to "ensure a basic
standard of living" and hence avoid social unrest ?
In theory, several aspects of China's communist
government could make it more capable of ensuring a basic standard of
living and maintaining social stability in an AI-dominated future, compared
to a more purely capitalist system like the US.
Here's why:
Potential Advantages of China's System:
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Centralized Control and Resource Allocation: The Chinese government has a
high degree of control over resource allocation and economic planning.
This could allow it to direct funds and resources towards establishing a
robust social safety net, investing in retraining
programs, and potentially even directly managing the
distribution of AI-generated wealth.
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Emphasis on Social Stability: could take drastic
measures to prevent unrest.
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| State Ownership and Influence:
State ownership of major corporations makes it easier for the government to
control adoption of AI with social welfare purposes.
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| Long-Term Planning Horizon:
The centralized planning system allows for a longer-term vision and the
implementation of policies that might take decades to fully materialize, which
could be beneficial for addressing the long-term impacts of AI.
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| Less
Emphasis on Pure Market Efficiency: China already often
prioritizes social goals and stability over pure market efficiency.
This could mean being more willing to implement measures that are
economically inferior in a capitalist system but
are necessary for social benefit.
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However, it's not a guaranteed outcome,
and there are counterarguments and potential challenges:
| Bureaucracy and Inefficiency:
Centralized systems can also suffer from bureaucracy, inefficiency, and a lack
of responsiveness to local needs.
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Suppression of Dissent: While prioritizing stability,
the government's tendency to suppress dissent could mask underlying social
unrest and prevent the open discussion of grievances.
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The "Social Credit" Double-Edged Sword: While potentially a tool for
managing a post-work society, the social credit
system is also highly controversial and could be a source of
resentment and resistance if perceived as unfair or overly controlling.
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| Focus on Technological Advancement
Over Social Welfare: The primary focus of China's AI strategy has
thus far been on becoming a global leader in the technology itself. The social
implications might not receive the same level of immediate priority.
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