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doblyatmos's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent, if bleak. Basically every job at some point in the not too distant future can be done better and more cheaply by a robot, and more than likely will.
Felt like Ford disregarded existing privilege a little in his arguments about the Universal Basic Income (which must be almost guaranteed to happen, I can't see any other workable solution) but overall a very informative and wide ranging book.
Felt like Ford disregarded existing privilege a little in his arguments about the Universal Basic Income (which must be almost guaranteed to happen, I can't see any other workable solution) but overall a very informative and wide ranging book.
cheenu's review against another edition
4.0
The thesis of the book is that automation of processes across the skill spectrum is eating more jobs than it is generating. (As well as some other interesting consequences - such as "deskilling" jobs thus making them easy targets for outsourcing or wage stagnation).
His book is a mix of data and antecedents to demonstrate this is the case. Personally, I found it a little bit too heavy on antecedents and light on the data side but to be fair to the author, he is not an economist and this book is targeted for popular reading. He does do a pretty good job giving the "lay of the land" though.
If you believe that automation currently is and will be the major cause of mass employment in future, then definitely read it (that's me, so I enjoyed the book). If you're a skeptic, then don't read it unless anecdotal data works for you. I also liked his chapter on "basic income", I thought it gave a pretty good overview of the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of "basic income".
His book is a mix of data and antecedents to demonstrate this is the case. Personally, I found it a little bit too heavy on antecedents and light on the data side but to be fair to the author, he is not an economist and this book is targeted for popular reading. He does do a pretty good job giving the "lay of the land" though.
If you believe that automation currently is and will be the major cause of mass employment in future, then definitely read it (that's me, so I enjoyed the book). If you're a skeptic, then don't read it unless anecdotal data works for you. I also liked his chapter on "basic income", I thought it gave a pretty good overview of the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of "basic income".
szachary's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely on the alarmist side of the argument. a good augment to the second machine age. an informed reader here will need more then one perspective to really hash out the complexities of this argument.
I enjoyed this book despite my disagreements with a number of its premises.
I enjoyed this book despite my disagreements with a number of its premises.
yujtang's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
emmanuelbg's review against another edition
4.0
The topic of AI is one that aesthetically displeases me a lot. I hate talking about, and the sight of others babbling excitedly about it induces a disgust response in me. Yet, it can't be ignored anymore. Especially in relation to the economy, and the future of employment.
This book is fear-inducing, to say the least. The author doesn't try to make it so, I suppose it's just the natural byproduct of the possibility at hand. We are talking about 10-20% unemployment at best, total catastrophe at worst.
The jobs simply aren't being created anymore. This is a problem which has affected America since the 2000's. There's stagnant wages, less labor participation rates (especially in young men), less jobs created (the idea that automation ends up creating new jobs is severely faulty). The middle class as we know it is soon to be a thing of the past.
People keep repeating the mantra of "just get more education", "just learn to use the AI", etc. It doesn't work like that, we are hitting the upper limit of how much you can over-educate a population. Likewise, any AI collaboration with humans ought to be short lived, since you are training your replacement, after all.
What happens later? The author can't provide a conclusive answer. Nobody can, really. Inequality, absolutely no jobs being created appears to be a recipe for disaster and political instability. UBI isn't a convincing answer for me, I believe it can easily be used to extort dissident figures into compliance. There just doesn't seem a way out of this... It's difficult to blame us zoomers for the lack of vitality this generation has. What ought we fight for? What's the end goal here? At this point I'm just rambling.
This book does it's job amazingly well. A great survey of the situation, the causes and the possible outlooks. I don't rate it 5 starts simply because there's 3 chapters in the middle which are mostly redundant.
This book is fear-inducing, to say the least. The author doesn't try to make it so, I suppose it's just the natural byproduct of the possibility at hand. We are talking about 10-20% unemployment at best, total catastrophe at worst.
The jobs simply aren't being created anymore. This is a problem which has affected America since the 2000's. There's stagnant wages, less labor participation rates (especially in young men), less jobs created (the idea that automation ends up creating new jobs is severely faulty). The middle class as we know it is soon to be a thing of the past.
People keep repeating the mantra of "just get more education", "just learn to use the AI", etc. It doesn't work like that, we are hitting the upper limit of how much you can over-educate a population. Likewise, any AI collaboration with humans ought to be short lived, since you are training your replacement, after all.
What happens later? The author can't provide a conclusive answer. Nobody can, really. Inequality, absolutely no jobs being created appears to be a recipe for disaster and political instability. UBI isn't a convincing answer for me, I believe it can easily be used to extort dissident figures into compliance. There just doesn't seem a way out of this... It's difficult to blame us zoomers for the lack of vitality this generation has. What ought we fight for? What's the end goal here? At this point I'm just rambling.
This book does it's job amazingly well. A great survey of the situation, the causes and the possible outlooks. I don't rate it 5 starts simply because there's 3 chapters in the middle which are mostly redundant.
brigitakrista's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
3.5
Started off really strong, with impressive insights on robots and the economy. But the latter half of the book just fell apart for me. Some chapters/sections felt irrelevant and too drawn out. Perhaps this could’ve been a shorter book that would’ve packed more punch.
manny_calavera's review against another edition
4.0
The book gives a good insight into the state of Robots and their applications across various Industries today. He gives us uses in Healthcare, Education and Accounts which are considered traditional people industries. The main point he is trying to make is that we would be seeing a large number of job losses across various industries and the solution he offers is that we should look at a minimum income program.
The book was more economics than science fiction (except the singularity chapter) and gives a good introduction to people about what to expect in the next couple of years. However he should have spent more time telling how the jobs would adapt and people and technology would work together.
Overall a decent weekend read.
The book was more economics than science fiction (except the singularity chapter) and gives a good introduction to people about what to expect in the next couple of years. However he should have spent more time telling how the jobs would adapt and people and technology would work together.
Overall a decent weekend read.