Rise of the Useless Class
As algorithms push humans out of the job market, wealth and power might become concentrated in the hands of the tiny elite that owns the all-powerful algorithms, creating unprecedented social and political inequality. Alternatively, the algorithms might themselves become the owners. Human law already recognizes intersubjective entities like corporations and nations as “legal persons.” Though Toyota or Argentina has neither a body nor a mind, they are subject to international laws, they can own land and money, and they can sue and be sued in court. We might soon grant similar status to algorithms. An algorithm could then own a transportation empire or a venture-capital fund without having to obey the wishes of any human master. Before dismissing the idea, remember that most of our planet is already legally owned by non-human intersubjective entities, namely nations and corporations. Indeed, 5,000 years ago much of Sumer was owned by imaginary gods such as Enki and Inanna. If gods can possess land and employ people, why not algorithms?
Notes:
Folksonomies: automation universal basic income
Taxonomies:
/religion and spirituality/alternative religions/pagan and wiccan (0.427103)
/law, govt and politics (0.394319)
/finance/grants, scholarships and financial aid/government grants (0.292682)
Keywords:
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Entities:
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Human (0.670500): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Property (0.624248): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
Thought (0.578043): dbpedia | freebase | opencyc
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United Nations (0.570594): website | dbpedia | freebase | opencyc | yago
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The rise of the useless class