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Everybody agrees that artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics are going to have a transformative impact on our country and the world.
There are strong disagreements, however, as to what those impacts will be — who will benefit from them and who will be hurt. One thing is for sure. This is an enormously important issue that has not gotten the kind of discussion that it deserves.
Here’s my take.
Some of the very wealthiest people in the world, including Elon Musk, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos — are now investing hundreds of billions into these revolutionary technologies.
Why is that? Is it because they want to improve the standard of living of the 60% of our people who live paycheck-to-paycheck — Americans who are struggling to pay for groceries, healthcare, housing and education? Maybe. But I doubt it.
I think it’s because investing in AI and robotics will increase their wealth and power exponentially.
The artificial intelligence and robotics being developed by these multi-billionaires today will allow corporate America to wipe out tens of millions of decent-paying jobs, cut labor costs and boost profits.
The result? The wealthiest people in the world will get even richer, while working people lose their jobs and their income.
And unless we act, here is what’s likely to happen in the next 10 years.
As a member of Congress who vigorously opposed the disastrous trade agreements that decimated communities throughout this country, I, like most Americans, want to rebuild manufacturing in the United States. But let’s be clear: new factories won’t mean much for workers if the jobs are done by robots instead of human beings.
Elon Musk has said he wants Tesla to build millions of robots. And what will these robots do? They will replace the men and women working in factories, warehouses and in restaurants. That means millions of good jobs could disappear. It’s not complicated.
And, of course, it’s not just Musk.
Amazon, owned by Jeff Bezos, has already laid off 27,000 workers since 2022. The company now has more than a million robots working in its warehouses — and soon those robots will outnumber human workers in Amazon facilities.
In 2016, Foxconn — the massive manufacturing contractor for companies like Apple and Google — replaced 60,000 workers in a single factory in China with robots. Now, the company is planning fully automated factories.
And just a few months ago, Foxconn’s CEO, Young Liu, predicted that artificial intelligence will make it unnecessary for large corporations to outsource jobs to low-wage countries — because robots will be doing most of the manufacturing work.
However, it’s not just manufacturing jobs at risk.
Most of us want to see the United States develop a strong, clean and efficient transportation system — including the production of millions of new cars, buses and trucks. But, if Musk and others get their way, those vehicles won’t be operated by truck drivers, bus drivers or taxi drivers. They will be driverless vehicles. Millions of jobs in transportation will be eliminated.
This is not science fiction. It’s already happening. FedEx is using driverless trucks to haul heavy loads along the I-45 Corridor between Dallas and Houston through a company called Aurora. Walmart is using autonomous trucks for short-haul deliveries in Arkansas through a company called Gatik. Kodiak Robotics has partnered with IKEA to conduct driverless deliveries in Texas. Waymo is operating self-driving cabs in Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco, Atlanta and Austin.
We all want more start-up companies and small businesses but, for workers, that will mean very little if half of all white collar entry-level jobs are eliminated over the next 5 years. And that is exactly what has been predicted by Dario Amodei, the founder of Anthropic, one of the leading AI companies in the world.
As the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP Committee), I released a report today finding that AI, automation and robotics could replace nearly 100 million jobs in America over the next decade, including 40% of registered nurses, 47% of truck drivers, 64% of accountants, 65% of teaching assistants and 89% of fast food workers, among many other occupations. And as bad as that may seem, I am afraid it may be an underestimate.
In June, the CEO of Ford, Jim Farley, predicted that AI could eliminate “literally half of all white-collar jobs in the U.S.” within the next decade.
Musk said this year that, as a result of AI and robotics, “probably none of us will have a job…If you want a job that’s kind of like a hobby you can do a job. But otherwise, AI and robotics will provide any goods and services you want.”
Earlier this year, Bill Gates predicted that humans “won’t be needed for most things,” such as manufacturing products, delivering packages, or growing food over the next decade due to AI.
So, here is a rather big question. If Musk and Gates are only half right in their predictions, what happens to the tens of millions of Americans who no longer have employment because they can’t find jobs that don’t exist? In this brave new world, how do these Americans pay for health care, food, housing and the other necessities of life?
It’s not just economics. Work, whether being a janitor or a brain surgeon, is an integral part of being human. The vast majority of people want to be productive members of society and contribute to their communities. What happens when that vital aspect of human existence is removed from our lives?
Further, and now we get into some pretty deep stuff, the rapid developments in AI will likely have a profoundly dehumanizing impact on us all. In many ways, it will actually redefine what it means to be human, fundamentally alter our relationships to each other and the very nature of what we call “society.”
Can AI and robotics be of help to us in many ways? Yes. I believe they can. I am not a Luddite. The goal, however, is to make sure the new technologies serve human needs and not just further enrich a small number of multi-billionaires. We do not simply need a more “efficient” society. We need a world where people live healthier, happier and more fulfilling lives.
So where do we go from here? Here are just a few ideas as to how the advances in technology can benefit ordinary Americans:
First, we must move to a 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay. Think about it: today, American workers are 400% more productive than they were in the 1940s, when the 40-hour workweek was first established. Artificial intelligence and robotics will greatly accelerate that productivity. Workers must benefit from that increased output through a shorter workweek. A 32-hour workweek with no loss in pay would be a major step forward in improving the quality of life for millions of Americans.
Second, we must require large corporations to allow workers to elect at least 45 percent of the members of their boards of directors — similar to what takes place in Germany. Workers need a seat at the table to best determine how AI is used in their companies. If Tesla workers were on their corporate board, I doubt they would be rewarding Musk with a trillion dollar pay package.
Third, we must greatly increase profit sharing at our nation’s largest corporations. In my view, workers should receive at least 20% of the stock in the companies they work for. Corporate profits should not just be going to enrich wealthy stockholders and the billionaires who own them.
Fourth, we need to substantially expand the concept of employee ownership in America. When workers own their own businesses and are more involved in the decision-making process, they will make choices that benefit everyone in the company, not just the people on top.
Fifth, instead of providing billions in tax breaks to companies that are throwing workers out on the street and replacing them with new technologies, we should enact a robot tax on large corporations and use the revenue to improve the lives of workers who have been harmed.
Bottom line: AI and robotics will bring a profound transformation to our country. These changes must benefit all of us, not just a handful of billionaires.
Let’s start the debate.
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