A World Without Work

A World Without Work A World Without Work A World Without WorkMoshe Vardi has devoted his life to making technology serve our needs. As the director of Rice Universitys Ken Kennedy Institute for Information Technology, his contributions to computer science are vast. But recently he has started to ask unnerving questions about the consequences of ever-increasing automation. A world where robots and algorithms replace as much as half of the human workforce may be mere decades away. Nows the time, he says, to start planning for a future with massive unemployment, and to start soul searching for what humans might do with a lot of extra time on their hands.ASME How were you drawn to the question of what to do when technology has replaced all jobs?Moshe Vardi The Atlantic Monthly contacted me to write an article about Alan Turing. It finished with the question of the potential impact on jobs. The editor said, The stuff you wrote about Turing isnt so great, but the stuff about jobs is very interesting, can we focus on that? The article, the Consequences of Machine Intelligence, came out in 2012. Now, Im in academics and we count citations. Google Scholar says I have close to 37,000, but it took me about 37 years to do that. With this article I got 50,000 hits in three months. Its an issue that has a huge impact on society and people care very deeply about it. Its mora immediate to them than almost anything technical I can do.ASME So has the potentially darker side of technology given you pause as a researcher?Moshe Vardi. Image Rice UniversityMV Most people like to get up in the morning, look in the mirror, and feel good that they are doing good things. Most of us, we need to make a living, but we also want somehow to say we are good people. So if you ask most computer scientists if what theyre doing is for the benefit of society, they say Yes, of course. We develop technology, people can use it. But now I look at the big picture. The question is much more open than I used to believe and I spend more and more of my time studying this topic.ASME What about the argument that technology creates as many jobs as it obviates?MV The neoclassical economists say that there will be new jobs, that human needs are infinite. But this is a matter of fierce debate. No one really knows. Is the fact that technology creates new jobs an economic law or is it a trend that will end? Can this look at the past predict the future? Maybe and maybe not. And what happens if not? The assumption is the good the economy creates for everyone. What happens if this is not true anymore?In 1981 the PC came out. But if you look at the last 35 years, the economic data is terrible. Its been good for the top one percent, maybe the top ten percent. People with good cognitive skills have done well working class people and middle class people have done miserably. Look at manufacturing. We have lost many millions of people. What are the new jobs? Website designing? How many that worked i n making cars are designing websites? They are the lost generation. This is not something about the future, the future is now. There is already a crisis.ASME Youve written that we might expect unemployment to go as high as 50 percent. What are the job-stealing technologies on the near horizon?MV The obvious thing is driverless cars. Its coming up in the next 10 years. Ten percent of the jobs in the U.S. involve operating a vehicle so automated driving is going to see millions of people losing their jobs. Then there are other parts of the logistical chain, from off-loading the containers in a port, which is being automated as we speak, to automated tracking, and moving goods in warehouses. Amazon is working very hard on robots that can unpack and pack. The whole thing can be automated, and this is not some science fiction, this is unfolding in the next couple of decades.ASME How do you think we should plan for this kind of a future?MV One proposal is the basic income guarantee, which is an idea that used to be a conservative idea. It came from people like Milton Friedman. If you look at the social welfare network, there is a huge government bureaucracy that decides who gets this support and who doesnt get this support. They said lets do away with this bureaucracy lets give everyone a basic income guarantee. Everyone will get it, even if youre a millionaire, you still get your $20,000 a year. So, basically, we eliminate all welfare programs, and everyone gets enough to live on.ASME So if our survival needs are met, whats wrong with not working? Isnt the point of technology to make life easier?MV Work doesnt just provide a living, it provides meaning. We define ourselves by what we do. The first question we ask when we meet someone is What do you do? We dont ask each other what we had for lunch, but somehow What do you do? seems like an essential question. Its the thing that gives meaning to our lives. If you take it away, its a radical change for humanity.We don t have many historical precedents for that, but there are some. In the saga Empire they had slaves, who, like robots, did all the work. One solution was to have a subsidized grain, and entertainment. Its dystopian, its not the way we want to see society go. We dont want to see gladiators kill each other. Maybe today we are a little more enlightened, but do we want a society where all people do is watch spectator sports and lots of reality shows? Is this what future society will look like?No one really has an answer there. Until recently this idea was just preposterous.Michael Abrams is an independent writer.Learn how to leverage emerging technologies that create sustainable solutions for global challenges at ASMEs COMS 2016What do you do? seems like an essential question. Its the thing that gives meaning to our lives. If you take it away, its a radical change for humanity.Prof. Moshe Vardi, Rice University

5 midwestern towns that will pay you to move there

5 midwestern towns that will pay you to move there5 midwestern towns that will pay you to move thereBig cities likeSan Francisco and Washington, D.C. attract millennialswith rooftop bars, a dating pool that is more like an ocean (which makes swiping on Bumblethatmuch easier) and seemingly endless job opportunities. But if youre looking for a career, some fast cash and a solid place to live, one of these five midwestern locales that will pay you to move there might just be the perfect place for you to call home.1. St. Clair County, MichiganThe county is currently offeringcome home scholarships worth up to $15,000to anyone who earned a degree in science, technology, math, art or engineering in the past decade and is willing to live and work in the area. The scholarship is offered year-round to anyone who meets these criteria and does not currently live in St. Clair County.Plus,rent is super affordablein the area, and Lake Huron is just a stones throw away.2. Grant County, IndianaJust 9 0 minutes outside of Indianapolis,Grant County has theGrant for Grads program, which could help young professionals buy or rent their first place with ease. Candidates must have a job offer in the area or have worked at their full-time jobs for less than two years to qualify for one of the two incentives offered.Through the homebuyer incentive program, candidates can receive up to $5,000 to put toward a down payment or closing costs on a new home in Grant County. Through the renters incentive program, candidates can receive 20 percent off their monthly rent payments - up to a total of $2,500 with a 12-month lease agreement.3. Crawford County, OhioThe first in Ohio to adopt this type of program, Crawford Countys come home reverse scholarship offers recent graduates at least$10,000 to live and work in Crawford County. The award is paid out on a quarterly grund and must be used to pay off student loans specifically.Applications are accepted year-round, and candidates should be prepare d to secure a job or start at a company within 120 days of receiving the award. Crawford County is just 90 minutes from both Toledo and Cleveland, too, so you can still get a little bit of city life if the burbs arent exactly your thing.4. Marne, IowaIf youve always dreamt of building a house but couldnt afford the land to do it, you might want to consider Marne, Iowa as the perfect location. Just 45 minutes east of Omaha, the townsFree Lots Programoffers land to anyone interested in building a home that is 1,200 square feet or larger and can complete the construction within 18 months of receiving the lot. Applicants are asked tocarefully review the requirementsbefore submitting the building plans with the paperwork. The Marne Housing Committee will reach out within 60 days of reviewing the application with a response.5. North Platte, NebraskaLocal employers in North Platte have an even bigger incentive to hire new talent now. TheWORKNP programthrough North Plattes Chamber of Commer ce will match recruitment incentives of up to $5,000 per open position at local companies (up to two) for new employees who move to North Platte to live and work there. Positions must pay at least $20 per hour, and new employees must agree to work at the company for at least three years. Basically, candidates can receive up to $10,000 to relocate to North Platte (just a little over three hours from Lincoln) for a job that they can feel secure in for a few years. bedrngnis a bad deal at all, if you ask us.Thisarticlewas originally published onSwirled.comin the Thrive section, which covers valuablecareer and personal finance contentfor millennials.

5 Astounding Perks at Jobs Youve Never Considered

5 Astounding Perks at Jobs Youve Never Considered5 Astounding Perks at Jobs Youve Never ConsideredWhen most candidates are considering applying for a new position, or even accepting an offer, they often ask to review the employee manual and benefits package as part of their well-considered decision-making process. Health insurance, paid time off, parental leave, and even the ability to work remotely are all common considerations.These types of employment package inclusions are all well and good, but some employers go above and beyond when it comes to keeping up morale and providing an attractive workplace. Benefits are one thing but perks, well those are worthy of posting to your Instagram account about. Check out these five astounding perks at jobs youve never considered to see how some employers are definitely extra in rewarding their top talent.Here are five examples of companies offering experience-heavy perks1. Unlimited Free Gourmet MealsCompany Gotham Bar and GrillSure, your c ompany may let you order from Seamless if youve been in the office for 10 plus hours. If you work at Gotham Bar and Grill, however, a genussmensch meal is part and parcel. Every day this upscale restaurant serves its employees a special meal from the menu before their shift even begins. Not a bad way to begin a workday if we do say so ourselves. 2. Drive the Bosss PorscheCompany InDemand InterpretingEver seen your companys executive parking space and been envious over the luxury sports car that occupies the spot? At InDemand Interpreting, well-performing employees can claim the car for their own, for an afternoon at least. Employees that go above and beyond are rewarded with the ability to drive the CEOs Porsche Boxster to lunch in an event dubbed the Box Lunch.3. Beer and Burritos in the Break RoomCompany SendGridSendGrid touts on its website the fact that companies trust their service to send over 45 1000 milliarden marketing emails a month. It takes a dedicated staff to get that kind of traffic turned around. To fuel its workforce, fridges are kept fully stocked with beer and freshly baked gourmet cookies are a staple. If the addition of free burritos in the break room doesnt tickle your fancy, weekly yoga classes and free gym memberships round out the list of kickass perks at this connectivity powerhouse.4. Free Flights for Your Travel BuddiesCompany Southwest AirlinesIt seems as if Southwest Airlines is a perennial contender on nearly every Best Place to Work list. Its easy to see why when not only do you get to fly yourself free of charge but your friends and family along with you. Given the cost of tickets nowadays, this is one perk that can add up fast and makes vacation planning all the mora exciting. 5. Six Months of Paid Leave to Do Whatever You WantCompany DeloitteEvery company has some form of vacation or leave policy. Accounting and finance powerhouse Deloitte takes this perk to the next level. Long-term employees are awarded varying lengths of p aid out of office time. After several years youll qualify for a six-month vacation where youll still get compensated 40% of your salary. This is on top of their generous parental leave and normal vacation packages. Get paid to sit on a beach and drink maithais? Where do we sign up?