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

AI doesn't replace white collar work

marble.onl

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 110 posts

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#21

Post by _aavaa_ »

abmmgb wrote: post #14
athrowaway3z wrote: post #11

Just to throw out the counterargument here. The way AI replaces work is in that there is an enormous ROI to work with fewer (and smarter) people. Those social interactions are a big part of work, but they are only very rarely "the work", and they cost time. In the cases that they are required; they seem to cluster and the ROI of fewer social synchronization problems increases even more. But that might all be wrong. I…

agreed with that take it is not direct replacement, at present, but rather job market shrinkage in sectors where AI can get more work done

What is a job market shrinkage but a replacement of unfilled/unposted position? The distinction between (obviating the need to hire someone because the AI does the work) and (firing someone and having the AI do the work) is quickly becoming a distinction without a difference, especially if you're looking for a job.

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#22

Post by bombcar »

simianwords wrote: post #16
conception wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As with any tech revolution, jobs don’t go away in total but the types of jobs do. There aren’t a lot of buggy whip manufacturers any more. Professionals photography has taken a sharp decline. Certain kinds of white collar work are a dead end now.

[flagged]

You don't pay a photographer to click the shutter button; you pay them to handle all the details of composing a good shot, knowing what you'll want afterwards, etc.

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#23

Post by 10xDev »

laborcontract wrote: post #15

I'm tired of arguments like this. If AI is helping you do work that you would have otherwise have had to pay people to do, then it is replacing white collar work.

The goal posts are becoming more narrow and these posts are becoming more frequent. It is almost like a therapy session for those facing an existential crisis while they continue to train the very thing that will replace them by giving it more training data to do their work.

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#25

Post by 8note »

ctoth wrote: post #18

It's the same error pattern every time: identify what AI is currently "bad" at, define that as the essential core of the work, declare the work safe. Wait 6 months, shocked Pikachu gif.

at least it directs the AI companies on what to train for next

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#26

Post by rkomorn »

abmmgb wrote: post #14
athrowaway3z wrote: post #11

Just to throw out the counterargument here. The way AI replaces work is in that there is an enormous ROI to work with fewer (and smarter) people. Those social interactions are a big part of work, but they are only very rarely "the work", and they cost time. In the cases that they are required; they seem to cluster and the ROI of fewer social synchronization problems increases even more. But that might all be wrong. I…

agreed with that take it is not direct replacement, at present, but rather job market shrinkage in sectors where AI can get more work done

This feels very much like a distinction without a difference to me.

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#28

Post by wongarsu »

simianwords wrote: post #16
conception wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As with any tech revolution, jobs don’t go away in total but the types of jobs do. There aren’t a lot of buggy whip manufacturers any more. Professionals photography has taken a sharp decline. Certain kinds of white collar work are a dead end now.

[flagged]

Even if we completely ignore the artistic and technical merit and complexity (which I would argue mostly moved to post-processing images) or the ability to catch or create the moments you want to capture, simply the fact that someone has to hold and point the camera makes it a job that will continue to exist. If you have a wedding and want pictures, someone has to take them. That won't be the bride or the groom, and shoving the responsibility onto one of the guests isn't nice (it would detract from their enjoyment of the event after all). So you hire someone to do it. Kind of like a job

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#29

Post by georgemcbay »

The fact that most of these "everything will be fine because we still need some humans in the loop" arguments never really talk about is that AI doesn't need to replace literally every white collar job to cause massive economic damage.

The unemployment rate during the peak of the Great Depression was 25%, not 100%.

Re: AI doesn't replace white collar work

#30

Post by mikert89 »

ctoth wrote: post #18

It's the same error pattern every time: identify what AI is currently "bad" at, define that as the essential core of the work, declare the work safe. Wait 6 months, shocked Pikachu gif.

hard to tell if its click bait or if these people cant project into the future
Post reply on HN