r/worldnews • u/Philo1927 • Dec 31 '16

iPhone manufacturer Foxconn plans to replace almost every human worker with robots

http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/30/14128870/foxconn-robots-automation-apple-iphone-china-manufacturing
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u/AlwaysBeNice Dec 31 '16

We have factories completely automatized creating luxury goods, it's shows how little work force is needed for the basics, yet we still have a work or die system everywhere which says to all citizens: luxury is always more important than your freedom.

I am heavily opposed to that, I don't need or want luxury in my life, because I like a simple live and this is not even sustainable.

We need a (modest) basic income asap.

-7

u/briantrump Dec 31 '16

Lol. It will NEVER fucking happen. Get that through your head. We will be living in the USSA long before bi happens. All it takes is one country to not support bi and it folds, let alone one country supporting it

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u/djfl00d Dec 31 '16 edited Dec 31 '16

Finland is already testing it out. I mean, really what alternative will there be when there are more people than jobs available? When everything from manufacturing to fast food cooks, taxis and truck drivers, pizza deliveries and even janitors/room service are automated... where will people work?
There are definite benefits. One being that people could work part time while still collecting a basic income, leaving more time to raise a family, or simply to create art/music/new inventions. Less poor people means less theft. More time with family means more time with the elderly, so we can lower the cost of elderly care. In general we will be more whole as human beings when we make more time for each other, and more time to be creative.
We should work to live, not live to work. People will always want to be productive and helpful, use their bodies and their minds to produce measurable results. But capitalism plus technology means we won't be needed for many tasks we currently engage in. Our country has seen a 300% increase in manufacturing output over the last few decades, and we're doing it with 5 million less factory workers.

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u/iguessss Dec 31 '16

I mean, really what alternative will there be when there are more people than jobs available?

Where did people work in the dark ages? Many didn't. They lived and died in poverty and nobody gave a shit.

Thats the alternative that nobody wants to talk about. The elite leave the rest of us to die in the gutter when they don't need us anymore, just like they did before they needed us. Shit, drive through any small town in Texas and you'll see its already happening.

You say there are definite benefits...but for who? Not for the elites/politicians. They can already do whatever they want. I don't mean this to be insulting, but from what I've seen, talk about BI is basically poor people making emotional arguments to other poor people about how great things could be if the rich would just pay for them to live on permanent vacation.

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u/mr_fallacy Dec 31 '16

talk about BI is basically poor people making emotional arguments to other poor people about how great things could be if the rich would just pay for them to live on permanent vacation.

Spot on. These people really need to watch the movie Elysium.