you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] -2 points 6 days ago (5 children)

Robots are working in the mines, oil fields, and handling toxic chemicals. There are at lest plans to get them to remove plastic from the ocean.

They aren't humanoid robots. The "robots" in chemical plants are made of pipes and sensors and valves. The ones in mines have wheels and picks and conveyor belts.

The only jobs left are the ones they haven't figured out how to automate: the people who supervise, oversee and give orders to the "robots".

I would think the reason that those final few jobs performed by humans in chemical plants haven't yet been eliminated is obvious. If an LLM customer service bot "goes rogue" the worst it can do is tell someone that they are entitled to a discount that doesn't actually exist. An LLM "supervisor" for a chemical plant might actually be worse at the job than Homer Simpson.

  • source
  • hideshow 5 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 6 days ago (4 children)

    There are a gigantic number of dangerous construction, lumber, fishing, and mining jobs still done by humans which could instead be enhanced with remote controlled robotics from a safe location free of physical danger and toxin exposure. Enormous numbers of those jobs. Instead we are pursuing the automation of the most human activities. Art, creativity, and thought. That's what this post is about. Our fucked up priorities.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] -2 points 6 days ago (3 children)

    There are a gigantic number of dangerous construction, lumber, fishing, and mining jobs still done by humans which could instead be enhanced with remote controlled robotics from a safe location free of physical danger and toxin exposure

    [citation heavily needed]

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 6 days ago (2 children)

    Are you seriously suggesting no one works in construction anymore? There are no tradesmen? No miners? No fishermen? You're suggesting these jobs don't exist in enormous numbers?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 0 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 child)

    No, I'm suggesting that the claim that "remote controlled robotics" can do the job that a human worker in one of those jobs could do is BS. Maybe at some point in the future, but the technology is not there yet.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 5 days ago

    Agreed, and that's my point. We're putting trillions of dollars into teaching a machine to make art knockoffs. We should be investing in the improvement of workplace conditions for trade jobs instead.

  • source
  • parent