"Lights out" factories have been an industry goal for a while. It does seem like it's finally within reach. Honestly what I don't understand is why western nations with relatively high labour costs and an increasing desire for autonomy and skilled job creation haven't been pursuing this.
this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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a good explanation of why that is https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2021/08/the-value-of-nothing-capital-versus-growth/
The same company (Xiaomi) that makes the car Ford's CEO drives
Seems like a good time to press the communism button
Seems like that would have to be the inevitable result of all this. When machines can do most jobs better than humans, then the whole idea of working for a living stops making sense.
Meanwhile here in Iowa our automated materials towing robots keep dumping shit on the floor, running into sensitive equipment, and injuring people.
Enthusiasm for this level of automation is pretty much inversely proportional to having to work on/around it.
Automation can be great. But the tail of exception cases is very long.
Lights out automation is the "AGI" of logistics.
The benefits of cost cutting measures without appropriate investment is because theyre shooting for the buck, not true success. Also you can now be sold v2.
Right, it doesn't matter if automation is less productive if it's cheaper. Sure, the robots keep causing damage, but they don't ask for wages.
Adapt or die. Societies that do not adapt to these changes will not have a good time. It's easy to ignore workers and just say "well, you're replaced, now fuck off". If the government doesn't take care of them and keep them happy, it could easily have negative consequences for the government.
Imagine if 30% of the workforce were fired within 5 years and couldn't get a job because AI did everything. Would 30% of the population just be happy going from something to homeless? How would the country absorb such a change? Governments can keep looking at the shiny money companies pay them to look the other way, but just because they ignore to see things doesn't mean they aren't happening. Either they are forward thinking and prepare or they will find themselves up a creek.
There's also a second aspect to this as well. Capitalism is built on consumerism which requires people to work to earn disposable income that they spend on goods and services.
Alright, but what is your point?
My point is that rapid explosion of automation ushered by robotics as we're seeing happening in China will make capitalism an unviable economic system.
I wouldn't make such a prediction as there are many possibilities and people like hanging onto things. One possible outcome could be the introduction of UBI, which could allow people only pursue the jobs or activities the want. That could be upskilling to become a research, becoming a race car driver, or a streamer, starting a company using AI, traveling the world, helping out the elderly, and so much more. There would still be production and consumption with popular products making some companies richer than others, but it could lead to a happier populace within a capitalistic system.
Of course there are dystopian scenarios like cleansing of the unemployed, remigration of the homeless, forced labor, and so much more that could keep the capitalistic system alive.
The reality is that capitalism is already visibly failing today, and we see mass civil unrest growing across the western world as a result. It's possible that bandaid solutions like UBI may be attempted, but it's pretty clear that there would need to be major restructuring of economic fundamentals going forward.
That escalated quickly. Uh... "Bring manufacturing back to America!" Or something.