Despite everything that people like Elon Musk or Sam Altman say, a study recently appeared that reflected the concern of Generation Z regarding AI. In fact, it seems they have reason to fear for their future. First Amazon, and then giants like Microsoft or Google have carried out massive layoffs. Now, Investor Howard Marks has delved into it.
It is true that he is not someone as high-profile, at least in Spain, as some technological gurus, but his experience precedes him. He is a prestigious economist who has been anticipating market movements for more than three decades. When talking about artificial intelligence, his perspective contrasts with that of experts like Bill Gates.
Fear of artificial intelligence
Many specialists, such as Geoffrey Hinton, have already spoken about the threats of artificial intelligence. They have not even ruled out practically apocalyptic scenarios. However, Many people have a much more specific fear: that AI will take away their jobs. Almost no one doubts that the automation of many tasks will cause a generation of unemployed.
Speaking to Business Insider, experienced investor Howard Marks has weighed in on the subject. “The prospects seem terrifying to me,” the expert warned. “I am extremely concerned about what will happen to people whose jobs AI makes unnecessary or who cannot find work because of it.”
The question seems to divide everyone: what will happen when AI becomes widespread and takes over numerous tasks? The solution, according to Sam Altman or Elon Musk, could be a universal basic income. That is, a payment for doing nothing for all those workers whose jobs become obsolete. Sounds good? Marks is not so clear.
“How will these things be replaced?” the investor asks, not knowing how the money will be raised so that millions of people, presumably, can live without working. But the problem does not end there: “I am concerned that there are many people who receive subsistence checks and sit around doing nothing all day«. That is, what an idle society would be.
We were not born to work… or were we?
Bill Gates was very clear about this, embracing the possibilities of artificial intelligence without hesitation. “We were not born to work,” he said recently. Thanks to AI, people will be able to dedicate themselves to other things, whatever really excites them, if they are excited about anything. Howard Marks sees a danger in such a trend.
In his opinion, a job is not just a job. “A job gives a reason to get up in the morning, gives structure to the day, gives a productive role in society and respect for oneself.”he reflects. Understanding it this way, it does not seem that a society of the unemployed, through AI, is as utopian as some predict.