Triumph of The Drones

Continuing on with my discussion of the impending employment crisis that will soon hit the U.S. Salon has an informative article on some of the changes that are already happening:

I eventually realized that I could sit down and order breakfast-via-iPad from any seat in the concourse. Before starting, I was required to input my flight details (presumably so I could be warned when my flight was boarding). Then I ordered coffee and breakfast — two eggs sunny-side up, home fries, bacon and orange juice — through a clunky menu interface. A card-reader to my right enabled payment.

A few minutes later, a waitress appeared with a cup of coffee. Ten minutes after that, she returned with the rest of the food. We exchanged hardly a word.

And I wondered: Why was the airport bothering with any human touch at all? Why wasn’t a drone bringing me my bacon? I mean, isn’t that the obvious next step?

And the next step is already with us in Japan. It is only a matter of time before what we saw in I, Robot comes to life. This is why I commented on the whole "livable wage" protest going on. Not that I don't agree on livable wages, but that as those wages increase the cost/profitability ration tips more and more in favor of automated processes. These machines will cost less and less as market penetration happens. Soon, possibly in my lifetime, those workers will simply be unemployed.

I don't really think that the leadership in government really understands what is coming down the pipe. Job training will not help. Automation will be so prevalent that humans will simply be unnecessary in many of the things that we currently expect to see them. Those people, who will still presumably require money to live, will do what to earn? Will the entire concept of "earn" be done away with? At this point I only see the countries that undergo these transformations living like citizens of certain oil states. They get a stipend from the government based on national productivity. Going to have to consider that or something.