Work, in general, is one of the topics that most concerns experts when it comes to AI. Many think that automating a lot of tasks will bring years (or even decades) of mass unemployment. However, there are those who consider the opposite, and not exactly secondary figures. Elon Musk has once again agreed with Bill Gates in that sense.
In general terms, the founder of Tesla agrees with the former boss of Microsoft: tools like ChatGPT can bring prosperity, and make work an option for whoever wants to have it, but not an obligation, as has been happening until now. Of course, the richest man in the world also has some reservations about this.
Elon Musk agrees with Bill Gates about AI… with nuances
Recently, Bill Gates once again expressed his opinion on AI. In fact, it’s something she does every time she’s asked about herself (which is usually every now and then). The now philanthropist assured that with this technology people will work less than ever. Most likely, a couple of days a week. A statement with which Elon Musk has now largely agreed.
Musk has even gone one step further: those who work will do so «for pleasure,» he commented in a recent interview, «not out of obligation.» Something that the tycoon has been holding for a long time. He insists, like Gates, that very soon machines will take care of almost everything, and ordinary mortals will be able to spend their time entertaining themselves however they prefer.
As a general rule, consider that it will be something positive. «If this happens, there will be abundance instead of scarcity,» he reflected. What seems to distinguish the criteria of one technological guru and the other is, however, in doubt. While Bill Gates seems to have few in this regard, in the case of Elon Musk, there are some uncertainties. Or rather, possibilities of the opposite.
Again, the CEO of Tesla has left an open door for the evolution of this technology to «go wrong». He hopes not, but he doesn’t completely rule it out either. If it happens, the consequences, he says, could be unforeseen. But even so, confess that he would want to see it. It’s not every day you witness the creation of something so powerful.
A world without workers, utopia or misfortune?
Regardless of whether Bill Gates and Elon Musk are right or wrong in their predictions, what is indisputable is that there is nothing certain about what could happen either. A priori, a society freed from work sounds great, but wouldn’t people end up becoming too apathetic, losing one of the main objectives of their existence?
And what is more worrying: If AI took care of everything, who would the benefits be for? Would those in charge distribute them altruistically without further ado? It’s hard to believe it. Hence, there are many experts who already imagine a much less happy scenario. One in which inequalities grow: a few would have a lot, and the rest almost nothing.