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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   37122 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of April 10, 2023

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Why not get the government to throw some cash at massive infrastructure and public works projects? We could take a page out of the 1930s New Deal playbook and create a boatload of jobs in all sorts of industries. I've rarely seen anyone discuss this, but it may be necessary as it was during the Great Depression.

Government intervention may not be necessary. If there's a big surplus of new capital due to AI efficiency, that means that there is more to invest in things that AI can't do right now, like manual labour. Or the government could use additional corporation tax revenue from AI productivity to cut social security contributions, which would lower the cost of employing humans.

The main government intervention would be the gastric by-pass surgeries required to get many Americans fit enough to do manual labour, but personally, there are only a handful of white-collar jobs that I have enjoyed more than manual labour. Not that the WORK was more enjoyable - most work is not "passionate", contrary to what bullshit cover letter say these days - but it was easier to turn my brain off and have mental energy in the evenings to play games, spend time with friends, or read.

The main government intervention would be the gastric by-pass surgeries required to get many Americans fit enough to do manual labour,

Or something like Wegovy

Maybe we should ask GPT4 for a solution? Or at least, whenever someone wants to try a large-scale intervention, they should start asking GPT if it can find any likely downsides.

What is that?

weight loss drug

semaglutide 2.4mg weekly injections that make you waaay less hungry. Currently the hottest thing in obesity treatment.

I mention it downthread. I meant "Wegovy"?

yup, "wegovy" is literally just the branded name of semaglutide 2.4mg weekly. The 1mg/week dose is called "ozempic", all of these are literally the same molecule.

Oops, my ignorance is showing. Should've asked GPT-4.

I don't think it knows about it, IIRC it was launched after its training data was finalized!

I agree that working in physical environments is better for overall mental health. Ideally we can just create more drugs like Semaglutide to avoid needing surgical interventions, but I am very much of the belief that there will be a massive biological revolution once AI tools scale into pharma companies.

If there's a big surplus of new capital due to AI efficiency, that means that there is more to invest in things that AI can't do right now, like manual labour.

Problem is things will go too fast - as you point out the majority of people that work in the laptop class right now won't be able to immediately switch to manual labor. More importantly, they won't want to. Like I pointed out work carries a lot of meaning for people. Besides, I think the changes are so drastic people will demand government intervention even if it isn't strictly needed.

Problem is things will go too fast - as you point out the majority of people that work in the laptop class right now won't be able to immediately switch to manual labor. More importantly, they won't want to. Like I pointed out work carries a lot of meaning for people. Besides, I think the changes are so drastic people will demand government intervention even if it isn't strictly needed.

I think that if it's a question of speed, government intervention is definitely not what is needed. Remember the lethargy over "shovel-ready projects" in the Obama era?

I have no idea what projects you’re referencing.

Government intervention for massive, quick unemployment is one of the main areas we need intervention in my view. When it comes to unemployment, what other frameworks would we need intervention?

Theoretically if it’s a slow collapse of jobs the market can correct and create new ones. When unemployment come fast and furious we need something to bridge the gap.

My point is that governments, especially in highly litigious societies like the US, are not adept at quick action.

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