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ihateshadylandlords t1_j73k7rb wrote

Reply to comment by ttylyl in Future of The Lower and Middle Class Post-Singularity, and Why You Should Worry. by ttylyl

You also have to consider that if the masses don’t have money to buy products, then the companies won’t have money either. If companies have no money, then they’ll go down too. Not to mention they won’t be able to buy off politicians if consumers don’t have money to buy anything.

Plus if we get to the point where we can make AGI and/or ASI, that might be used to replace executives and politicians.The elites are distanced from AI and the potential problems, but I don’t think they’re immune from it.

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ttylyl OP t1_j73yfkv wrote

They have no need for money if they own the means of production. If their goal is to gain power, and they have infinite AI power, we only represent a threat right? Or am I misunderstanding. In the scenario I am imagining money would likely be abandoned or heavily altered. Or, rich wouldn’t need money, money becomes a thing of the poor, a kind of food stamps.

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ihateshadylandlords t1_j74ukn2 wrote

What good is owning the means of production if you have no customers? Companies exist to maximize shareholder value. Owning a bunch of inventory that no one can buy doesn’t do anything for shareholders.

Also even if a company gets too powerful, they’ll just nationalize it or break it up like they did with Standard Oil.

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ttylyl OP t1_j74w3hf wrote

The issue I’m seeing is that the populations would be in two and a half classes: unemployed low skill people, employed high skill people(things needed after AI, so like notaries, maybe doctors, entertainers, people to work on/monitor AI) and AI owning people(large investors in openai, connected people, etc.)

Eventually they will realize that using their ai/robot labor power to feed house and fund the unemployed lower skill people doesn’t help their goals, so they will spend less over time. This will happen faster with competition, the more you spend on the non-ai owning class, the further you get behind the people who don’t.

If this continues the unemployed former working class will be functionally pushed from society, they won’t be able to use their work as a method of negotiation, like labor unions etc. our lives will be at the whim of people who already clearly don’t care if we’re poor. What happens when they don’t need us at all?

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ihateshadylandlords t1_j74x1gi wrote

The issue is companies having the AI, but no one wanting to buy the products and services from said AI. People need income to buy the products and services generated by these AI companies. They can decide they don’t need the people, but then who will need their services at that point?

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[deleted] t1_j7448oy wrote

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ttylyl OP t1_j746uzy wrote

Exactly. Money will become a thing of the poor, like food stamps. Slowly lowering, year by year, with average citizens having zero control of their situation or the outcome of their lives.

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ihateshadylandlords t1_j74uwm6 wrote

Thinking a company can exist without money is…laughably wrong, at best. AGI is a tool, it’s not a genie that can create something out of nothing.

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[deleted] t1_j76q616 wrote

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ihateshadylandlords t1_j76y8v7 wrote

Companies still need money to function though. Wages/salaries aren’t the only expenses a company incurs.

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[deleted] t1_j77wemk wrote

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ihateshadylandlords t1_j787aj2 wrote

Search any company’s income statement and look at the various line items for examples.

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[deleted] t1_j7c4am8 wrote

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ihateshadylandlords t1_j7cfjsm wrote

…you can’t search the internet or think about expenses companies incur daily? I’ll give you one, cost of goods sold.

You’re being intentionally obtuse because you realize you’re wrong. Like I said initially, companies need money to function.

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