I don't understand why everyone (excluding people who were replaced) is so "outraged".
As a customer: because the quality of service I get from a robot is much worse than the quality of service I get from a human being, in general.
Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
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Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#62I don't understand why everyone (excluding people who were replaced) is so "outraged".
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Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
The people labeling data for $15/h are supposed to take the stand?
No, the people building the shite customer service chatbots that we all hate using should take a stand.
no the govt should just pay ubi because we're at the point of needing it. it'll only get worse. Businesses should automate so people are needed for less menial stuff and can just enjoy life and shit.
Not far from now even intellectual jobs will be a.i.
post scarcity star Trek civilization is very possible if we stop letting greed control us.
disclaimer : I run an ai automation agency, and support the fight against poverty and for universal healthcare and stuff, but the faster we automate the faster the govt is forced to roll out solutions to fix the problems automation creates.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#64I don't understand why everyone (excluding people who were replaced) is so "outraged".
Exactly, almost everyone who reads Hacker News have built their careers on technological progress.
Outrage now that it's coming after their jobs just rings hollow.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#65Earlier quoted context omitted.
What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Morale is down because of the enshittification.
“[some harmful shit] will continue until morale improves” is a meme.
When I took Admiralty and Maritime Law in law school, the professor handed us (aside from the syllabus) two sheets of paper on the first day:
1. “Admiralty and maritime law is a couple thousand lawyers fighting over a few dozen ships.”
2. “Beatings will continue until morale improves.”
It’s an older meme, sir, but it checks out.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#66Earlier quoted context omitted.
Same goes for almost all grocery shops here - Publix, Kroger, target etc replacing checkout with self-checkout kiosks completely. I absolute hate using self-checkout for non-packaged groceries items. Especially if I have lots of stuff. Freaking "unintended item in baggage area". Not to mention, I feel like Publix etc in particular employed lots of folks with disability. It warmed my heart to talk to them. I don't kno…
Grocery stores and others absolutely still need cashier checkout. If I have a handful of items I can barcode swipe and even a couple pieces of produce that's fine. But they simply aren't designed for a full shopping cart which includes a ton of non-barcoded items. Ditto with home repair stores. Scan a new smoke detector? Sure. Check out a bunch of lumber etc. That would be no. In my experience, most stores are findin…
This "balance" still cuts out a lot of employees and still removes the social interaction for most use cases. My local Home Depot, FWIW, still has a person to do checkout... but I think it is only one person, not even two: the rest of the checkout opportunities are self-checkout.
Also, btw: it isn't so bad to do self-checkout of large items as they have a wireless handheld barcode scanner at each self-checkout stand; it isn't like you are having to lift each item and place it on the platform. There is something similar now at Target, and I routinely self-checkout large/heavy furnishings.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
The people labeling data for $15/h are supposed to take the stand?
No one is talking about 15$ an hour data labeling and I’m pretty sure you know that. Being obtuse on purpose. If you’re actively replacing people’s jobs rather than helping people… well, you’ve got to look at yourself in the mirror every night.
The entire software industry is based on replacing jobs with more efficient alternatives.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#68This is good for society just like any productivity enhancing invention. You'd think a place like HN would know that the only way the world has ever gotten better has been innovation improving per-human output.
in theory: customer support automation frees up support workers from focusing on repetetive customer issues to being able to devote more time to those difficult issues, providing better service at lower cost in practise: have you ever used any automated customer support for anything? it speaks for itself - it's literally worse than nothing.
In practice I see a lot of businesses murdering their competition because they offer better customer service.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
No it's not. Everyone has obligations. You cannot un-invent this stuff. That's like trying to stop air planes, rockets, photography, combustion engine, calculators, the personal pc, etc. It's the next phase of technology and it will be developed regardless if you like it or not. It's here to stay and thinking otherwise does everyone a disservice. We should be trying to figure out how to leverage this and ride the nex…
> many times I've used support and the person is some entry level tech who has no idea. Yes, roughly all the times. every single time. As far as I can tell, most “first line of support” reps are empowered to read you FAQs, and to maybe perform actions you are better able to do yourself online. If like me, the caller is only calling as a last resort after figuring out the task is impossible online, they just repeat a…
Yeah, every now and then I directly get an L2 person who either just had a phone queue open or really needs a promotion. But, unless I've just been an idiot (which does happen), L1 is mostly useless.
I've found social media a mix. There are people who seem really interested in making stuff happen and there are people who are surprised you expect anything more than sympathetic cooing noises.
Re: Shopify employee breaks NDA to reveal firm replacing laid off workers with AI
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
No it's not. Everyone has obligations. You cannot un-invent this stuff. That's like trying to stop air planes, rockets, photography, combustion engine, calculators, the personal pc, etc. It's the next phase of technology and it will be developed regardless if you like it or not. It's here to stay and thinking otherwise does everyone a disservice. We should be trying to figure out how to leverage this and ride the nex…
Wait, you actually think that AI will improve any of this?
Massively if the companies are willing to let AI actually help. If the companies are just trying to delay you from unsubscribing by using lame tactics then no, but nothing fixes those companies.
Massive upside for some things, neutral for other things. That's net positive.