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Michael Baker's avatar

While I agree with everything that is written, it still comes back to a nagging question: What will job-age Americans do for work? Yes, some will survive in the high tech center, but AI will put many out of work. No more need for clerks, support staff. People can go into health care professions; that is still available. But the majority will be pushed into working at the warehouse stores, which will never pay enough to match the rising cost of housing plus consumer goods. And even that will be affected by AI. We will eventually have our "king" (Trump and his successors), the nobility (billionaires), a professional class and serfs. Techno feudal society is on its way, even without Trump.

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Jared Ryan Sears's avatar

America has gone through major technological changes before, and we've had jobs for everyone even after large industries have fallen to progress. The focus should be on how we ensure people have good-paying jobs.

The Gilded Age was a time of great prosperity for the nation and massive income inequality. We've been headed for that situation again, and AI will only accelerate it as businesses can squeeze more productivity out of fewer workers who never see a pay raise.

That is why a federally backed job training program and a livable federal minimum wage need to be enacted to protect workers and give them paths to opportunity. The only way that will happen is if people demand it and vote for it. If we don't, we will find ourselves at the grim future you predict.

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