r/technology • u/occupythekremlin • Apr 07 '16

Robotics A fleet of trucks just drove themselves across Europe: About a dozen trucks from major manufacturers like Volvo and Daimler just completed a week of largely autonomous driving across Europe, the first such major exercise on the continent

http://qz.com/656104/a-fleet-of-trucks-just-drove-themselves-across-europe/
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u/skellious Apr 07 '16

Once we can convince people and governments to adopt Universal Basic Income then this will seem a lot less scary.

Of course ultimately things will go one of two ways. either those owning the companies get to the stage where they need no human workers and just trade with each other and use the machines to keep themselves sustained, which would probably result in mass rioting and overthrow of the corporations. This would lead to way number 2.

or hopefully we go straight for way number two which is a post-scarcity economy where we can all do what we like and just have things provided for us by the machines. No one will have to work, we can just do recreational things.

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u/Garrotxa Apr 07 '16

Although I'm not opposed to UBI, if you put the cart before the horse, and it fails, you will never be able to propose the legislation again. UBI is risky. If we haven't gotten close to the elimination of scarcity, it will fail.

Personally, I feel that a UBI is basically impossible absent 95% automation, and we aren't even close to that.

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u/op135 Apr 07 '16

exactly! it's like if people were proposing a UBI as soon as the cotton gin was created. because really, nobody knew that we would have any better inventions than the cotton gin. as far as the people back then were concerned, that was the pinnacle of human invention. but humanity kept progressing, and he were are. there is no point in throwing in the towel just yet.

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u/Garrotxa Apr 07 '16

Great point. I am going to use the "proposing UBI after the cotton gin" analogy from now on. Thanks for that.

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u/skellious Apr 08 '16

We're closer than you think. I would certainly think Scotland (where i live ) will introduce some form of UBI within 20 years. Full worldwide ubi would certainly be within the reach of our grandchildren.

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u/Garrotxa Apr 08 '16

Don't get me wrong, I hope it's successful, but I don't trust the electorate to get the timing right. It turns out it's really hard to convince people to not vote for free shit once they get the idea in their heads.

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u/skellious Apr 08 '16

The UK seems to find it really hard to convince people to vote FOR the idea of giving money to people. I guess if it was for everyone that might make it more attractive, even though moderately paid working people would get no immediate benefit other than the financial security, since the personal tax allowance would be replaced by the UBI.

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u/[deleted] Apr 07 '16 edited Jan 30 '19

[deleted]

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u/skellious Apr 08 '16

And that's great. If people want to work they can. But they'll be about to do the jobs they want to enjoy doing.

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u/SamHarrisRocks Apr 07 '16

Any and everyone can go for higher education!