Sunday 15 January 2017

UBI necessary in Frankenstein defence

Members of the European Parliament have called on European countries to “seriously” consider introducing a general basic income to prepare for wide scale unemployment that could come as a result of robots taking over manual jobs, The Independent reports.

A draft report, tabled by a socialist MEP Mady Delvaux-Stehres, warns preparations must be made for what it describes as the “technological revolution” currently taking place, including provisions for the “possible effects on the labour market of robotics”.

In its introduction the report warns against Frankensteinian consequences to the widespread introduction of robots:

"Whereas from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein's Monster to the classical myth of Pygmalion, through the story of Prague's Golem to the robot of Karel Čapek, who coined the word, people have fantasised about the possibility of building intelligent machines, more often than not androids with human features," the report warns.

"Whereas now that humankind stands on the threshold of an era when ever more sophisticated robots, bots, androids and other manifestations of artificial intelligence ("AI") seem poised to unleash a new industrial revolution, which is likely to leave no stratum of society," it continues.

The report, which will be submitted to the entire European Parliament in February, urges member states to consider a general basic income in preparation for robots taking over people's jobs, The Independent says.

“In the light of the possible effects on the labour market of robotics and AI a general basic income should be seriously considered, and invites all Member States to do so,” the report says.

SOURCES

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/universal-basic-income-robots-eu-meps-unemployment-mady-delvaux-stehres-european-parliament-a7527661.html?cmpid=facebook-post

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/EU-Considers-Basic-Universal-Income-to-Combat-Rise-of-Robots-20170114-0017.html

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//NONSGML%2BCOMPARL%2BPE-582.443%2B01%2BDOC%2BPDF%2BV0//EN

PHOTO

Mady Delvaux-Stehres / LSAP / Wikipedia / CC 3.0


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