Ocasio-Cortez Says Society Should Embrace Automation Rather Than Fear It
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez argues that automation should excite rather than scare the public, pointing out that job loss is only terrifying because society ties survival to employment. She suggests that robots could free humans to pursue art, science, and space exploration.
Speaking at SXSW, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez presents a unique perspective on automation by arguing that society should welcome technological advancement rather than fear it. She explains that the underlying issue is not the technology itself, but a system where individuals face death or ruin if they lose their jobs.
While industry advocates often claim automation only eliminates dull, dirty, and dangerous tasks, Ocasio-Cortez looks at the bigger picture through a Democratic Socialist lens. She suggests that machines could liberate workers from a capitalist structure that forces people to tie their entire identity and livelihood to their wage labor.
Instead of worrying about unemployment, she envisions a future where automation gives people more time to focus on education, art, scientific investigation, and space exploration. To help fund this transition, she points to Bill Gates' idea of a robot tax, noting that this concept essentially serves as a strategic way to tax corporations that replace human workers with machines.