This is probably old news to most of you, so bear with me. I was reading some articles about companies planning to use self-driving trucks and I’m concerned, probably angry, and frustrated there isn’t more of an outcry against artificial intelligence.
The US Postal Service is testing self-driving trucks for mail delivery. You can read about it here.
Another company, Plus.ai has been testing self-driving trucks and recently had one going cross country delivering butter. They did have two actual humans on the run in case something went wrong, but that wouldn’t be the case eventually. You can read the article here.
Call me crazy, I don’t see this as a good thing. Sure, I know cases can be made that “sound” logical — humans get tired, might fall asleep at the wheel, will save the company money… Still, to me it’s better to have humans working. Humans having jobs. Humans making money because they have jobs. Humans interacting with humans and learning lessons from all the good and uncomfortable situations you inevitably encounter. All these situations help us grow, open our mind to others, creates community and trust. Interacting with computers does not open your heart. Does not teach you compassion, empathy, joy or forgiveness.
And then there’s hacking — anything computerized can be hacked. What a mess that could make. Sure they say it will be secure, but look at all the “secure” sites that have been breached these days.
Why do we need it? Why do we need robots doing jobs that once were held by humans? I don’t think we do. Imho, it comes down to greed. Companies want to make more money. They don’t have to give robots heath insurance, don’t have to deal with sick leave, vacation pay, paternity leave, office disputes, human resources, raises. Hey, there probably won’t even be human resource departments anymore.
Jobs are disappearing like tender seedlings in a gopher field. Just because we can do something with technology does not mean we should. It does not mean it’s a good idea. It feels like another tech toy gone rogue. What is the obsession with “toys”? They’re fun for a while, but the newness or cleverness wears off eventually and there you are with yourself again, the self you were trying to avoid with distractions.
There is so much more to life away from the computer, engaging with humans. Technology is great, of course it is. But not when it’s taken too far. Then it will hurt our society. It already is. Look at the lack of human customer support, so much is automated, you call a number and get a computer voice, and more often there is a text option, no calling. We have a generation who texts more than talking. What’s wrong with talking to people? Engaging with people is how we learn to function in society and learn social etiquette.
I would rather see all this brain power and money being funneled into ways to cure diseases, heal the earth, save our planet, end hunger, find more solutions to end our dependency on plastic, on oil, on pesticides — there are so many other things to do with our brilliant minds and money.
And gosh, while I’m on a roll, can we please stop outsourcing. When you make something, you feel good and proud. America needs to be a maker country again. It’s good to work and feel proud!
I’d love to see a middle class again. I’d love to see honest people doing an honest day’s work as the saying goes. I’d love to see independent boutique shops thriving, and cobblers and mom and pop run stores. Why? Because it makes community. It’s humans working and offering something to other humans and having interactions with each other.
I’m a human who supports the idea of humans in our society. Thanks for reading.
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