General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Where do people here come down on Uber et. al.? [View all]Humanist_Activist
(7,670 posts)alleviate the need for full employment then the loss of these jobs wouldn't be a major concern. Ideally I think automated fleets of vehicles should be integrated into multi-modal public transportation systems.
It appears computers are better drivers than humans. In the United States alone, tens of thousands of people die a year in car accidents, most of those are due to human error. The thing is, computers don't have to be perfect, just better than people, which isn't hard to do, unfortunately. That will be enough for insurance companies to start refuse insuring non-automated vehicles without you paying through the nose in higher premiums, similar to "high risk" drivers today with horrible driving records. There will be a transitional period, along with allowances for grandfathered vehicles, but eventually they may outright refuse to insure vehicles that aren't automated in some fashion.
Capitalism and automation won't be compatible for long, as you pointed out, even doctors could be replaced someday, and we need public policies to address the fact that large sections of our population, and not even those who are working poor, but much of the professional and middle classes as well, will be replaced by machines, computers, bots, automated agents and robots. Because of this, we need to seriously consider policies for a post-employment society, a livable mincome, without strings, etc.