Why It Is Imperative For Humanity That STEEM Not Only Survive But Thrive
@ned repeatedly mentioned how his goal is to have 100K entrepreneurial based businesses on the STEEM blockchain within 5 years. That number does not include the potentially tens of millions of people who will be earning income from this blockchain through their contributions. Authors, commentors, and curators all have an opportunity to make STEEM a basic income for themselves.
Technological unemployment is a topic that is still a matter of great debate. Many of the leading tech titans agree that automation and artificial intelligence are going to wipe out tens of millions of jobs over the next decade. This sentiment is also in agreement with reports issued by organizations such as Morgan Stanley and the World Economic Forum.
Nevertheless, there are still some who cling to the long held view that technology is always cited as being a jobs destroyer while actually creating more jobs. Why is this time any different?
While I can point to the speed of technological change, the skill set differential from what is present to what is needed, or the fact that software is easier to create than robotics as the reasons for this, I will use a more fundamental point to illustrate the point.
The reason why this time is different is simply because the relationship between capital and labor is different.
Historically, there was a balance between labor and capital. While it could swing one way or another, there was an equilibrium that was maintained. Each side needed the other to reach its goals. In this, capital needed labor for growth while labor depends upon capital to provide jobs. Ultimately, one could not advance without the other.
For capital to grow, it required the efforts of people to achieve that end. In the Industrial Era, investments were made in plants/factories which were then staffed with people. Companies that were expanding hired more people to handle the job of creating more products.
Naturally, as more capital was invested in expanding companies, more jobs were created which was what labor needed. Labor was able to benefit from the investment of capital providing growth to both.
This relationship was maintained even as we shifted away from Industrialization to a service based economy. While the jobs changed along with the focus, the fact remained that expanding companies hired more workers. To provide more cab rides, not only were more vehicles needed but also drivers. The same is true in restaurants. Even tech startups that received hundreds of millions in funding had to hire engineers and software people.
Again the relationship was maintained.
![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmbMdVSVm9TsyUTvjZS8PjENu3v4sm7xaXSqxaEoSt9uUu/image.png)
Today, it is being severed.
People like to point to Uber as the example of the "new" economy but I think it is more accurate to mention Airbnb. Here is a company that has no people yet rents out rooms. The typical hotel has front desk, cleaning, and maintenance people. Airbnb has none of these people. It is a global rooming establishment that rid itself of labor. Expansion requires no more people but, rather, a simply change in software.
We are going to see this happening across the board. Drivers of all kinds are going to be eliminated as autonomous vehicles become more commonplace. Amazon is already working on a grocery store with no check out people and few employees to stock the shelves. The Internet, robocallers, and automatic email programs are already starting to replace many of the functions sales people handle. Messenging bots are having an impact upon customer service jobs.
The bottom line is that capital now can grow without investing in labor.
This is where the basic income discussion starts to take place. While not delving deep into here, I am of the outlook that Elon Musk has....basic income is simply something we are going to have to do. In his mind, we can debate the philosophy all we want but that will not alter the fact tens of millions are going to be replaced by software/automation over the next decade.
This is where STEEM and other utility tokens come in. To me, this is the one way to settle all debatse. People are going to require income and blockchain is capable of providing it. Government tends to waffle between inept and corrupt, neither of which bode well for anyone who is dependent upon it. If the government giveth, it can taketh. That is not healthy since it is just another form of slavery.
Cryptocurrencies which can be acquired through the use they were designed for is going to have great value over the next 5 years. As the situation I mentioned becomes more of a reality, people are going to have to start looking for alternative means. STEEM is the ideal solution. Here is an advanced blockchain with people already making money from doing something that 2B people around the world do on a daily basis. STEEM is providing a living to a large number of people on here even though our numbers, overall, are still small. Options, which did not exist for someone like me 6 months ago, are now available.
STEEM is going to have to be a substitute for many; a job replacement. While many do not look at this is work (which is a good thing), it does show how we need to rethink what work means to us. This might not mirror the classic role as wage earner yet each day people are on here making a contribution. Isn't that what is most important? Providing an outlet for people not only to exemplify their creativity but also profit from it is imperative.
I felt for a while that STEEM has the potential to change humanity. Social media accounts for the largest aspect of all traffic on the Internet. This blockchain already has the applications that are lining up to take on the traditional occupants in the social media world. I grant you they are not ready to go full force; in another year I do not believe that will be the case. The advantage to blockchain is decentralization. With that, comes increased innovation.
The present system is based upon scarcity. With blockchains like STEEM open to all, abundance begins to become the common state. People are getting paid in ways where they were not before. Anyone who spent time on Facebook did so to enrich Mark Zuckerberg and his Wall Street stockholders. While this might not have been the motivation, it was the end result.
On STEEM, one enriches others "around" him or her. Average people who come on here are upvoted by others. That helps to give them more SP which makes their upvotes more valuable. This cycle keeps repeating itself, month after month. Over time, one will realize the compounding effects on one's account.
The biggest advantage to basic income is that it gives people choices. In short, it gives one the ability to say "no". Instead of having to accept that crappy paying job or having to adhere to demeaning guidelines laid out by government hacks, one can simply say "no" to all that. STEEM is going to be a major provider of choices for people. We are already seeing it in these early stages.
And for this reason, it is imperative that STEEM not only survive, but thrive. The ability to give tens of millions choices they never had before is at hand.
This is the power that resides on this blockchain. Good thing because the world is desperate for it.
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I'd like to agree with you but I believe it's just much effective and simple for artificial intelligence to just kill most of us and leave a small zoo (of worthy, healthy and diverse individuals) to ensure their rise again in the case of major catastrophe.
In the case of government, history has proven that when humans are of no use, the leaders dislike them for some reason, or they are a burden governments tend to go with the simplest of solutions: mass murders at concentration camps or death by forced starvation like in Ukraine, Russia, Cambodia and North Korea.
I'm sorry to sound so pessimistic but I've seen this first hand before: I was born in Communist Cuba and saw Fidel Castro on TV encouraging the people to leave on rafts made of garbage in a sea full of sharks. Many thousands, including some in my family did not make it.
Also, during the Mariel boat lift he got rid of all "undesirables", political opposition, mental patients and criminals without a second thought and they were lucky they weren't executed in the trigger happy days of the revolution.
In other words, if people become useless and a burden, they will be killed, culled or taken out of the picture through exile. Either government or intelligent machines will quickly find an incentive and excuse to this for the "greater good", preserve resources, heal the planet or something like that.
The only way to stop this is to keep ourselves sharp and useful, better than machines by studying and specializing in high technologies. A basic income would be a death sentence for most of humanity...
Why would AI do this? People seem to think that AI is going to operate like humans do. AI is intelligent...people, for the most part, emotional. It is people's fear that causes them to act the way they do. It is also what causes their decisions. AI will be more like Mr Spock than the terminator. Yet people still believe AI will be emotionally driven because we human being are.
As for government, they will not be standing in 20 years. Blockchain is going to wipe out that entity (or at least radically alter it) completely. Look at Estonia and what they are doing. People are going to have a lot more choices.
As for the death of humanity, a basic income isnt going to kill people because believing that it makes people lazy is not supported by evidence.
How does one do this when she is working two jobs as a single mother to make ends meet? Or how does someone in a crime ridden area who has to engage in illegal behavior to survive? The challenge with this view is the idea that most people have the opportunity to begin with followed by the ability.
Do you really think that woman trained as a paralegal or that car sales person is going to start to take up coding?
Don't hate me for this. I don't want this to happen, I'm actually appalled and scared about it but these are my logical responses to your questions:
Why would AI do this?
Why wouldn't it? Who or what will it stop it? Humans are a huge strain on natural resources and would compete with them.
AI or Government about the lady with two jobs who can't study:
Not my problem. Send her to the camp with everyone else. If she's no good for the zoo, eliminate her on the spot so she doesn't consume any more valuable resources.
I know, it sounds and it is harsh as shit. I don't like it and I hope AI is not already reading this but it is the only logical outcome I see.
Pessimistic dies, optimistic lives on.
AI has few hundred years to go before develop Human level intelligence in all cases. AI is already better in some area of knowledge such as number crunching or analytics. It is not still good enough in many complex issues.
A human brain is the most powerful and efficient computing machine on planet earth, probably in the Universe. A human brain performs 10^18 calculations per second (1 exaflop), while the most powerful supercomputer has just broken 10 petaflops. Also, human brain only takes 90 watt, while these super computers take 10s of Megawatts.
The issue is how to use this unused potential computational power of human brains to build the next AI that will solve the complex problems such as poverty or governance.
The universe, in small context, our Milky Way, is full of real estates (habitable planets) and resources. We need next level computational intelligence both biological (humans) or artificial to harvest it. Therefore, there are millions of earth equivalent of resources are in our backdoor that to be harvested.
UBI will help the cause and accelerate the mission. The world is better than ever before, it is the perception (too much news and information overload) that confuse our brain to think that it is getting worse.
Any ground breaking technology such as blockchain, IoT, AI (algorithms) can solve the complex problems of poverty or governance. It is most likely to be happened now than before.
Few suggestion on books: Abundance and Bold by Peter Diamandis
What about governments? How long do you think they would tolerate people who don't pay any taxes, reproduce abundantly and consume resources they want for their typically grandiose and inefficient projects?
They wouldnt.
But one big piece you are overlooking, in 20 years, at most, governments arent going to be needed.
They are nothing but extensions of the banksters who are in the process of being wiped out. 10 years from now, the "elite" will not be so elite.
Super optimistic vs Super pessimistic tells me the answer is somewhere in the middle...
Maybe but when it comes to blockchain, I dont believe there is super pessimism.
There is no way to power the value of decentralization....anything that stands in the way of it will get run over. Blockchain is simply that powerful.
We saw what the Internet did to things that got in its way...and this is much more powerful than what happened 20 years ago.
The DIY era was dead for about 30 years. It is coming back in a huge way. You created an app that required Google and Apple to approve.
On here, you could create whatever you want and put it up. The cool thing is so can 100K other people.
Established power structures, which are centralized, cannot stand up to it. That is why all calls for BTC's demise are pre-mature. It is a blockchain that is too powerful for the bankster to stop.
This part sort of revived my optimism, I agree human level AI is still far away in time.
Also the part about other planets and resources elsewhere sounds good. Let's hope AI takes takes that long and that, by then, resources and government are no longer a problem. regards
Maybe the machines will give us a choice, integrate and live in the cloud or die. But, we have to give something in return, a highly logical mind wouldn't spend computing resources on something worthless like a human brain who only watches porn and Kardashian shows all day in a VR world. We have to provide value to them and it's good we are already thinking about this.
I dont see it that way because I do not see us separate from the intelligence. 20 years ago, the brain-computer interface was through your fingers....about 10 years ago, we connected with computers through out voice albeit version 1.0 which required a lot of typing to correct the mistakes. Now we have voice recognition that is almost perfect.
At the same time, we are seeing version 1.0 of direct brain to computer interface in quadrapalegics. Researchers are now able to get the brain to talk directly to a computer.
We also are seeing Microsoft store data on genetic material. Hence we are seeing the groundwork of companies starting to put together the ability to merge with our data.
Hence we are left with the same thing we are always left with....not will AI or computers or nukes kill us but will we kill ourselves off?
Maybe the machines will give us a choice, integrate and live in the cloud or die. But, we must give something in return, a highly logical mind wouldn't spend computing resources on something worthless like a human brain who only watches porn and Kardashian shows all day in a computationally expensive VR world. We have to provide value to them. It's a good thing we are already thinking and discussing about this.
By the time full blown AGI comes around, it is doubtful we will just be a human brain. The integration will already have taken place via a brain-computer interface.
My guess is that man killed by machine will not be the result of the machine but the programming of other men.
Again,why would AI be intent on destruction or making deal with man? Man is the one threatened by others and has this thirst to destroy for no reason.
And maybe the Kardashians are highly advanced beings...we just dont know it.
Interesting take on basic income. I find the subject thorny, but I like the presentation here. So long as government stays away from it and it is voluntary, I'm all ears.
It is a very thorny issue.....and there is great debate about it.
Until there are millions in first world nations who are put out of work without prospects of getting another job. Wait until decent paying jobs start to disappear. We are already seeing areas of medicine that are being penetrated, truckers, accounting, financial market analysts, and the legal environment is being automated.
People's answer will be retraining....the challenge with this is that a doctor or lawyer isnt going to be retrained to create apps on the STEEM blockchain.
It will be interesting how quickly all this unfolds and what the beliefs of people become...especially when one of their loved ones who wants to work will not be able to find it.
I wonder how so many seem to not need to work now. Not all of the reason is state funded welfare. Every where I look, businesses can't find workers. There is some sort of shift happening.
Very good question @flyinghigher.
I do know a number of people who are living on disability because of various ailments, some real, some imagined. Either way, it is not much of a living since it is meager pay ($600-$700 in some cases).
The question I have is can businesses not find workers or is it they cant find workers for what they are offering to pay.
We are living in an age where wages have been held down while corporate profits exploded.
In Europe, we got a problem with healthcare in few countries. Mostly, because doctors just look where is bigger wage, not where they are actually more needed. So they go from southern and eastern Europe into countries that pay the highest salary - those are mostly baltic and north-western countries . So, in east and south of Europe...the lines of people, needing professional medical help, is getting bigger. And looks like no social medical program (every european country has it- meaning...you pay small fee, a check every month so you can get their help and most of the medicine without additional bill to pay). And what is happening, is that you have to book and wait for weeks of sometimes even months... I think this is all the result of greed.
This is very good post. You have to...actually look and search for quite some time to find something like that.
There are more than 1k of cryptocurrencies and I think, more than 15k of crypto coins (most of them don't have any real value) . So, you got to be damn good to be placed in top 100. Steem is one of them. Steemit website was even ranked in top 1000 on alexa. I think, steem currency is undervalued. And a lot of other cryptos are overvalued. At the end it all comes to their real value. The same way as in stocks. Or even gold and silver. Bankers are making "goldfix" in London and lowering the price of gold and silver for many years. But in the end it will all come to their real value.
Decentralization is the key of Steem. I think people still do not see Steem that way, but this is one of its main role. 99% of the media today are sharing lies or turning around the truth for those who pay them more. If we'll be able to have steem as our basic income, great.
All true.
There is a lot to be excited about on this blockchain. Are we looking at the groundwork being laid for a new society. In many way, I believe so.
Decentralization is what allows the creativity and genius of humanity to flourish.
Like discussed yesterday in your previous post when are on the same page.
Innovation (RPA, blockchains, etc) will costs us jobs, jobs which will not return. Giving people a lot of spare time. Time was ha to be filled in. Steem is an ideal way of doing this. I do also think that new ways of recration will be booming).
The problem that people who will be reading this excellent post, are already on Steemit. So they did get the picture. Other still have to find the way to these kind of income.
Next time if people do ask if you are mining, the answers is a plain yes! By being active on this platform you do mine!
Keep these kinds of posts going! I makes people think, not only about Steemit and other issues but also about their future!
Yes we are @fullcoverbetting.
Sadly most are not on the same page. They really have no idea what is coming down the road in terms of technology. In fact, they not only missed that, but how close it is. I read a report that said 500K messenging bots will be released in 2018, causing havoc in the customer service industry. The report, by Forrester, claims that 9% of the US workforce would be put out in 2018 because of automation.
Now I think their timeline is a bit aggressive but agree with the point. There is no way that a telling percentage of the work force is not eliminated over the next 5 years.
So do you see the workforce turning to content creation? Will society start shifting it's value to more and more creative work? THat's what I'm wondering, with so many jobs going to automation are we going to be able to seemlessly transfer wealth into new "jobs" where people do what they love?
I'm guessing so after reading and listening to gray v
Not all the workforce.
People are going to do what they want to do...contribute where they desire.
A basic income allows people to pick up trash at the park if one wishes. That is a contribution. Do that now on welfare and you are a bum. Do it with your name across your chest with the City of ____________ and you are working. That makes no sense.
With crypto there is no need for the starving artist anymore....people can create, take care of their families, help the elderly, or do medical research....whatever interests them.
I like this answer, it makes sense, people should be going with their flow and we should value that. Basic income seems like it would only be good, and why the hell not? That's my view, some people don't like that kind of balance but seriously, let's take care of eachother
If Steemit is to become the future of social media, I couldn't be more than happy about it. People like to complain about the amount of low quality content they see on Steemit, but I see it somewhat differently.
I've found some of the most amazing articles here on Steemit. Compared to some of the stuff I see on Facebook, Steemit has some really well-thought-out content from both new and established creators.
The idea of Steemit becoming some form of basic-income doesn't actually sound that strange to me. You can literally start from scratch and earn a decent income after some hard work. After that you can keep earning without having to post.
I agree with you... there are articles that are terrible while others are also very good. There is a mixture with the quality content far outweighing the trash.
Steemit will not only become the future of social media, but also introduce a new way of living!
Yes I agree, yet I must say that the Steemit platform is a creation of consciousness creating new ways, a more viable and safe way to transfer and exchange information that makes for a worthy investment.
A.I is just a non sentient learning tool. The hype that it will overtake humanity for the quest to conquer the very thing it's tool was made to help...don't see it. But the steem block chain is different in that is mimicking the deep wishes of those that will to see a freebased, decentralized
form of exchange for goods and services. If it doesn't survive in its present form,
It will of course morph, as the the evolution toward a economic peace within ourselves perpetuates this Golden Idea.
No going back now...the proverbial Steem has Risen.
I believe, long before AI takes over humanity, we will be merged with it.
We already are merging with it at this moment. It is not in our bodies, for the most part, but we are connected to it. Each time we use a chatbot, we are connected with it. Sure, it is human smart, although with some humans I met, maybe it is.
The point about universal basic income is an important and nuanced one. I think it's important to tie this notion of "basic income" to some notion of work. (although it's hard to call Steemit "work") Some business leaders (including, most recently, Richard Branson) have suggested that this basic income should essentially be a "cash handout." IMHO, handouts aren't the solution, work is the solution. A new form of work, yes, but work nonetheless.
What work do you propose?
The reason why the like of Branson and Musk state their positions so clearly is because they know that the jobs are going away. You want to tie it into work...so are you going to mandate jobs be created just so people have a place to go to "work".
That is actually what we did in the west the last 20 years to a large degree. We created a great many bullshit jobs just to keep people employed. Now, corporations are wise to this game and realize their profits are much greater with less employees. AI and other forms of automation enable this.
Not work for the sake of work... But I think that with every new technological cycle, people have predicted the end of work, the end of jobs. I see the blockchain as ushering in "a new Internet era". The original killer app for the Internet was email. Then came the graphical user interface. Then people started building companies, entire industries, around the Internet. I see the same thing happening with the blockchain. And that's why I'm so optimistic around the idea of SMTs for Steemit. The Internet era was all about digitizing everything that could be digitized (books, music, financial assets, etc.). The blockchain era will be all about tokenizing everything that can be tokenized.
I do understand what you mean but do search on youtube: Humans not need apply and watch the complete video. Maybe this will change your mind. The revolution which is coming towards will have a much bigger impact than the industrial revolution.
well article look intrestig i will read it
I think this is the way the world will go, until we can colonize other planets. If we can colonize other planets fast enough, we can keep sending people to to run the colonies, which makes so many jobs that utility tokens will not be needed for a while. Once all the colonies become big, then we'll need them again. :)
Great post. Steem already changing many lives, specially in third world countries like Nigeria or Pakistan. Potential for Steem is enormous. World changed drastically in last 20 years, but many still believe in old dogmas like, go to school and have a decent job. Take a loan for house and be a slave. People should wake up and start thinking differently.
The old dogmas still will keep on existing.
But the things kids will learn in school will differ.
We probably still need a loan to buy a house and so on.
The world will change even more drastically in the next 20! Even to a point we can’t imagine.
We can predict a lot of things but I don’t think it will be even close to our wildest dreams and nightmares!
It is nice to see that Steemit makes a difference in peoples live. This means that it works like intended!