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Devin: AI Software Engineer

cognition-labs.com

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Re: Devin: AI Software Engineer

#481

Post by MSFT_Edging »

esoterica wrote: post #399
MSFT_Edging wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure but the same optimizations that bring the costs down, bring down the average laborers value. I'm not saying that things were sunshine and rainbows pre-industrialization, but there's some level of analysis to be done on the durability and value of a handcrafted piece of clothing, the care that goes into maintaining it, the value of a local economy, and the other side where you're forced to buy cheap items that de…

Those optimizations increase the value of labor by greatly increasing the amount of output per unit of labor. Do you understand how much wealthier the modern worker is than the pre Industrial Revolution peasant?

Pre-industrial societies may not have had flat screen tvs, but they had time. The only thing you can't buy.

Re: Devin: AI Software Engineer

#482

Post by MSFT_Edging »

andruby wrote: post #472
MSFT_Edging wrote: post #67

Humans seek work that provides satisfaction and meaning in their life. For every technological advancement, artisans are the first to be made obsolete. Sure we have landfills full of unworn textiles, the market says its good, but overall, we keep destroying what allows humans to seek meaning. Our governments and society have made it clear, if you don't produce value, you don't deserve dignity. We have outsourced art…

Long ago most humans spent their time and energy on farming so they wouldn't starve. We automated that with a couple of Agricultural Revolutions. Then the majority of us spent our time and energy in factories. That got automated during the Industrial Revolution. So we moved to service and knowledge jobs. And now we're potentialy seeing the start of automation in those knowledge jobs. Will this be a painful revolution…

I'd love to live in a Communist society. I think our technological capabilities are to the point where a centrally managed economy is not only possible, but extremely doable.

The main issue being, our governments and society have made it clear that the opinions of those who hold Capital are far more important than the unproductive surplus. Our entire society now is based around consuming cheap products we don't need, because the previous cheap products wore out prematurely. The focus on a profit motive tosses aside great discoveries that are unable to turn a profit, while encouraging useless advancements that only degrade our lives.

IE advertisements make money, but I've never met someone who believes their life to be improved by ads, except for a minority of shareholders.

On the other hand, there have been many medical advancements all but scrapped because the lack of profit outweighed the human benefit.

The profit motive is incompatible with a robust society. I won't pretend to have the answers on what should be done and how to implement it, but I know that our current system cannot last forever.

Re: Devin: AI Software Engineer

#483

Post by MSFT_Edging »

onthecanposting wrote: post #385
MSFT_Edging wrote: post #67

Humans seek work that provides satisfaction and meaning in their life. For every technological advancement, artisans are the first to be made obsolete. Sure we have landfills full of unworn textiles, the market says its good, but overall, we keep destroying what allows humans to seek meaning. Our governments and society have made it clear, if you don't produce value, you don't deserve dignity. We have outsourced art…

The economy clothes aren't great, but you can get a quality tailored suit for $4000. That's about 6 weeks pay for a PFC in the US Army. A roman legionnaire would pay about a gold ounce for a quality (at the time) set of clothing, however, at the cost of about 6 months pay. They don't build 'em like they used to, but those of us in the rank and file are getting better off. We can't all be "I think I will just buy Hawa…

I think there's a good point in-between a $4000 dollar tailored suit and a $0.13 tshirt made of plastic that is designed for the landfill.

I'm unsure why we default to extremes on that regard. A decent made T-Shirt should cost about $40, but right now the $40 shirt costs $.10 to make. Therein lies the self-consuming nature of how things are going right now.

Re: Devin: AI Software Engineer

#488

Post by hellojesus »

BriggyDwiggs42 wrote: post #128
hellojesus wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While it certainly make you, the individual, less productive because you've been replaced by a machine, it still makes society more productive. If replaced, you essentially were the misallocated capital: capital paying your salary was inefficient compared to that same salary paying a more productive AI. This means you will either have to find a way to become more efficient to compete against AI for developer jobs, or…

This is objectively accurate, and I think you mean to be nothing but. However, the mechanistic focus on efficiency and profit at the direct expense of human quality of life is downright goulish. We need political changes that ensure people who are “outmoded” by this tech can still have good lives.

The mechanism for this is charity. I understand people like to see social welfare programs, but I believe they are inferior to private sector charity because they ignore moral hazard, tend to produce worse outcomes, and are less economically efficient. At the core, welfare steals from all to provide provide for some. This introduces deadweight loss.

I see a future where those displaced by automation are able to retrain with minimal cost or by charitable means. But this also means that current workers should be saving hard for a rainy day, as nobody knows when one may come.

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