So the interests of workers and tycoons are said to be at odds because the former want to keep jobs and the latter want robotization, writes Sohrab Ahmari, one of the icons of contemporary American conservatism. And so say many others.
On the face of it, it sounds logical, and we find such moments in history books. But when we look around, we see something else. When there are layoffs, it is because of disruption or retrenchment. A few years ago, the main cause of production cutbacks was too much competition; now it is climate madness or war. Where businesses are thriving and where there is automation, jobs are not disappearing.
There may come a time again when robotization will go against job retention. But for now, only the mix is changing. We can’t even say definitively what the difficulty is. Some places don’t need as much craftsmanship anymore, because much more often they just bring in and plug in ready-made modules. But on the other hand, many things are more complicated.
Moreover, the advantage of robotics is that production remains and the value created can be used to benefit those who may be losing their jobs. When production is closed down, no further value is created.
At the moment, robots are not a comparable threat to bankers, bureaucrats and activists.