Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

theguardian.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–192 of 192 posts

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#191

Post by ada1981 »

ada1981 wrote: post #169
catbodi wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're fucking crazy

Exactly. Truckers with AR-15s aren't going to stand a chance against the robotic police force...

Come to think of it, this would make a good comic or sci-fi film.

A mob of former truckers, farmers and Uber drivers armed with bump-stocked AR-15's wearing Make America Analog Again hats and fueled on pillaged Soylent trying to overtake Silicon Valley and having to fight through an army of Teslas, Otto, Boston Dynamics, Weaponized Amazon Drones, etc.

Re: Will automation put an end to the American trucker?

#192

Post by simonh »

winstonewert wrote: post #102
simonh wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Typically the gains would be shared through lower prices to customers and higher profits. Lower costs might also increase demand for services and goods, growing the industry and increasing employment elsewhere in companies, though that latter is likely to be a relatively small effect.

Its not about lower costs or growing the industry. If we save $1 billion dollars in automating one industry, we are just going to spend that $1 billion dollars elsewhere, growing some other industry.

That's right, it frees up $1bn for other uses. This is why automation, ever since the industrial revolution, hasn't lead to persistent mass unemployment. The capital freed up by more efficient industry was used to create new industries and jobs that didn't even exist before. There have been some painful adjustments, but the more flexible an economy is the more rapidly it adjusts. Historically this has been a US strength.
Post reply on HN