Why can't we roboticize the entire work force?

Question: Why can't we roboticize the entire work force!?

In my imagination I picture a world where all of the hard manual labor can be accomplished by some form of robot!. What exactly is preventing us from doing this!?

You have to admit that the thought of 'never having to work' sounds appealing!. Don't get me wrong I'm not a bum, I work for a living! It's just a nice thought that I have from time to time!. Thanks for any input!Www@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

This is occurring as fast as the robots can keep up!. You are not seeing the transition as a problem, though you should!.

If and when we have robots capable of doing all human jobs then we have a big problem!. We will have a few companies producing these robots, and every other company purchasing them to replace their workforce!. Presumably these robots will be able to replace the manufacturers of the robots as well so we will have corporations with absolutely no human workforce!. The companies will be buying robots to save money on payroll, which will in turn mean that noone has a job!. If noone has a job then they cannot afford whatever good or service the company produces and the company goes out of business!. The economy collapses, and we have a society of out of work people that require food, shelter and sleep as well as a population of human like robots that likely require nothing from us!. Humans would be sucking up resources and robots would have nothing to do though programmed to work!.

Eventually the robots would take over and start making people into food for other people!.!.!.!.!.!.!. ITS PEOPLE!!!! SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!!!!

You are imagining a world where the robots work and produce things for us for free!.!.!.!.!. this would of course be nice!.!.!.!.!. but how we can transition to this is not logical!. Unless of course a law is created that mandates that robots only be sold to individuals!.!.!.!.!. and not to corporations!. This would mean that the company could lease the robot in liue of payroll creating the fantasy paradise you mention!. That would be hella sweet!.

BTW!.!.!.!.I am not a bum, but I wish I could be!.!.!.!.!. but a bum with loads of cash!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Altough economy is based on human labor and increased consummerism, it is not necessarily so!.
I like the ideas of Bob Black, in "The Abolition of Work", which I here paraphrase: technology can solve industry problems, most bureaucracy is only useful to bureacracy itself, and the remaining work _services which need humans, like medicine or education_ is a minor part, so that we could share the load and work very little!.
And, at last, the best proposition: this little work left should be treated as hobbies and games!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Right now, there are two basic problems (and a lot of little ones)!. The big ones are:

1) Robots aren't good enough yet!.
In particular, we haven't been able to build robots capable of adapting to unusual conditions!. At present, industrial robots are replacing workers in really repetitive work, but not in jobs that require much decision making!. That will probably change with time, but for now!.!.!.

2) Our economy doesn't "know" how to deal with a robotic workforce!.
The prevailing economic models all start with the need for labor!. Without labor, they can't imagine how ordinary people could get/earn the money to purchase goods!.

There are economic models that do seem to work under those conditions!. My personal favorite is "Binary Economics," as developed by Louis Kelso and championed by (among others) the Center for Economic and Social Justice!. To massively oversimplify, the Binary-Economics solution would be that the people replaced by the robots should be the ones who would own the robots, and should get the money the robots "earn!." To learn more, take a look a www!.kelsoinstitute!.org and www!.cesj!.org!.

But whether you accept Kelso's ideas or someone else's, the fact remains: A completely robotic workforce would require an entirely new way of looking at ownership, earnings, and fair distribution of wealth!. Not an impossible thing, but something we should think about before it happens!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The only thing that is preventing us from mechanizing factories completely is money, I believe!. It is cheaper to export labor intensive jobs to other countries where workers are paid less!. America's exporting of jobs is cost effective for corporations but bad for our economy!.
My point is; it is cheaper for 'us' to have people from third-world countries do 'our' hard manual labor and that is why 'we' haven't invested in mechanizing our entire work force!.

Whoever puts all the manual laborers out of work would be considered a very evil man!.!., in my opinion!. I don't like working but I do like getting paid!.!.!.!. you know what I'm saying!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Not all work is standardized to the point that it can be automated!. also, the cost of mechanization is too great for simple routine tasks!.

Consider:

- Who builds and repairs our existing robots!?
- Who loads supplies into the industrial assembly lines, and removes the finished products!?
- Who intervenes when machinery malfunctions!?

BTW - Most hard labor is done with the help of machines today!. In non-industrial societies, people use animals instead!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Cost!.

Have you priced industrial robots lately!?

I work with them every day, and while they are good at many, many tasks, they can't make a decission by themselves!. Oh, you can add camers and sensors and dozens of checks and balances to their design, but in the end it will take a human to manage their environment at some level!. (Who is going to program them to adapt to change!?)

g-day!Www@QuestionHome@Com

One could say we wouldn't need money but then what about the people who maintain or oversee the robots and robots will never be able to develop new technologies so if all the work was done by robots either there would be a lot of poor people or there would be a lot of research not being done!. also there would have to be some way to keep people from taking more then they need money does this for most people now, but without money how would we do it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The truth is, no robot is currently as capable, flexible and adaptable as a human being!. They make them better all the time!. Industrial robots have made huge strides in automotive manufacturing, for instance!. They do a few things very well, but they are expensive and cannot easily be adapted to do something entirely different!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Because we have to work for a living!.Take yourself for example!.If you or your family did not have a job you would not have money to use the internet now would you!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

people need work, roboticizing the work force would destroy the working class and increase unemployment and rich bastards!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The only problem with that theory is then where would people get money if no one had job wouldn't the world economy colapsWww@QuestionHome@Com

Whhhaaaaaaaaat!?!?!?!?!?!?!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

money only has value because of the man-hour-effort we put into physical or intellectual labor!.Www@QuestionHome@Com