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Jim · Sep 1, 2003, 01:43 am

Marshall Brain wrote this article about how he believes that sometime around 2050, robots will have become so advanced as to replace 50% of the workforce in America (mostly menial, minimum-wage jobs). He also wrote two other somewhat-redundant articles about Robots in 2015, and about solving the problems created by 50% unemployment in an industrialized society.

While his timescale may be off, his conclusion isn't: robots are going to drastically change the global economy.

His article on solving the problems caused by a robotic workforce called Robotic Freedom is unfortunately horrible. Marshall Brain is no economist, and it shows. He is also writing a novel called Manna about a computer system that increases worker efficiency, but over time turns into a strict control device that makes employees work in conditions similar to the 1920s. It's so focused on this fictional system that he ignores the possibility that the future could be drastically different, and that the problems inherent in Manna might not happen in a real-life version. I wouldn't have a problem with this normally, if it were a good-ol' science fiction novel, but it's being touted as if it's his honest analysis of future occurances.

What are your thoughts on a robotic workforce? On his articles?

Sep 1, 2003, 01:43 am	#1 (permalink) (top)
Jim Sedimentary Rock Posts: 24	Marshall Brain wrote this article about how he believes that sometime around 2050, robots will have become so advanced as to replace 50% of the workforce in America (mostly menial, minimum-wage jobs). He also wrote two other somewhat-redundant articles about Robots in 2015, and about solving the problems created by 50% unemployment in an industrialized society. While his timescale may be off, his conclusion isn't: robots are going to drastically change the global economy. His article on solving the problems caused by a robotic workforce called Robotic Freedom is unfortunately horrible. Marshall Brain is no economist, and it shows. He is also writing a novel called Manna about a computer system that increases worker efficiency, but over time turns into a strict control device that makes employees work in conditions similar to the 1920s. It's so focused on this fictional system that he ignores the possibility that the future could be drastically different, and that the problems inherent in Manna might not happen in a real-life version. I wouldn't have a problem with this normally, if it were a good-ol' science fiction novel, but it's being touted as if it's his honest analysis of future occurances. What are your thoughts on a robotic workforce? On his articles?