Ford: future threats of unemployment
I would like to hope that the government will consider the idea of stimulating the efficiency of the work process by introducing a tax discount on human labor. As in the case of the tax discount for depletion of the subsoil during oil and natural gas production, this may be an annual tax benefit determined by the value of a unit of energy resource. “In essence, this is the consumption of natural resources,” says Mineral Web. Many people of advanced years feel as if their supply of vitality was used up due to hard work.
Robot development
In his fascinating book on modern economics, Robot Rise: Technologies and the Threats of Unemployment in the Future, engineer and entrepreneur Martin Ford explains how robots and information technology can replace both office and manufacturing workers . It was this trend that greatly contributed to the emergence of the so-called new norm in the USA - the frighteningly low level of labor participation (62%) and the increasing unemployment rate (10%).
Ford emphasizes that robots are able to work faster and longer, while making far fewer mistakes than humans. Being armed with artificial intelligence, complex algorithms and access to large databases, robots are able to replace workers in such areas as law (data mining), finance(high-frequency trading), healthcare ( IBM Watson supercomputer ), education , science and business. Despite the fact that you still do not have the opportunity to shake hands with a human-like robot, at the moment, automatic systems are involved in almost every area of human activity.
Ford Motor Company F-650 and F-750 mid-size trucks are the first on the Ohio Assembly Plant assembly line in Avon Lake, Ohio. Truck manufacturing, previously located in Mexico, has created many jobs and attracted $ 168 million in investment.
Thus, Ford argues that it will be extremely difficult for Americans to remain competitive in the labor market, partly due to the widespread introduction of robotics , and also due to the constant influx of cheap foreign labor.
Thus, the development of robotics in general is a good trend, but, as Ford noted, society must understand the importance of having decent work for the middle class. In other words, the goal is not to slow down the process of technology development and the introduction of robots, but to stimulate entrepreneurs to build their business in such a way that people have the opportunity to work side by side with machines, and not compete with them.
Ford argues that the problem of income inequality can only be exacerbated by robots, since only business owners and investors will receive income from production . After all, robots don't buy cars — they are machines themselves. They don’t need food, medical care and other things people need. Ultimately, robotization can turn into a big problem for an economy driven by consumption.