Why China has no fear of Ai that can replace millions of jobs?
Why China invests heavily in Automation, Robotic, AI with many innovative products, yet not worries about potential loss of millions of jobs replaced by AI, and how to feed her 1.4 billion population?
?Every day we hear news of China AI products in operation : AI hospital, AI doctors, AI nurses, AI schools, AI teachers, AI engineers, AI accountant, AI driverless EV cars, AI Kitchen, AI cooks, AI agriculture, AI farming,? …. So many more.
In the meantime, US port worker union demands pay rise and removal of automation system that replaces workforce.
This is a discussion on why China does not worry about Automation and AI replacing workforce.
?We will start with mass population reaction to Automation, AI.
?In the western democratic countries, when the economy is bad, no job, no income, and especially jobs are replaced by automation and AI,? there are massive protests and strikes. If the employers or government gives in, there will be less automation, let alone AI innovative products.
Western population believes in Freedom & Human right and these notions are also interpreted as they must have secure job and income and higher wages due to inflation. With such belief, their only avenue is to protest and strike when their demand is not met, if they manage to change the democratic government, the same pattern repeats, because the new government cannot solve their problems.
On one hand you can say western workers retards automation and AI. On the other hand we need to analyse what gives rise to such attitude and behaviours.
And we need to start with historical perspectives.
Mentality and Culture
For hundreds of years, with the rise in Agricultural Revolution and Industrial Revolution, there was need to have more raw materials abd labour force to produce products and services, similar to workers who need jobs and income.
The west found a quick fix, i.e. colonization, slavery, exploitation of weaker countries resources. This quick fix created untold human suffering, brutality, massacre, genocide. And this quick fix is similar to today workers demand for secured jobs, more income, more benefits using protest and strike.
Just a pause, China historically till now, never used or uses such quick fix method, but hard work by the masses, led by communist government.
In the western societies, they continue to use Quick Fixes to solve the surface problems. The long term solution may need 20 years planning or execution, which is not possible in democratic countries as they only have 4-8 years governance due to election system.
Take US as an example, they continue to print money to satisfy the immediate economic problems of their citizens. e.g. subsidy, social benefits, which in the long run, create more problems. The roots problem is never solved by this quick fix approach.
In the meantime, US continues to create conflict, proxy wars, or wars as another quick fix to for economic dominance.
Since the western government practices Quick Fixes for centuries, they also "educate" their people to have quick fixes in the name of Freedom and Human Right.
Now back to the key question, why China has no fear of automation, robotic and AI.
China knows such new technology will replace huge amount of workforce.
Long Term Investment in Education
But China invests very heavily in education and they have their vision what a new society will be like back in 10 to 30 years ago.
More than 20 years ago, China put efforts to produce millions of engineers and today they can serve in One Belt One Road projects throughout many countries.
More than 10 years ago, China invested in robotic and AI with collaboration with their universities and research centres, again this is something democratic country cannot have such visionary direction and decades of efforts.
China surely knows new AI technology will replace millions of jobs.
Education Reform
I forsee the following steps taken by communist China, though I do not have supporting information yet.
领英推荐
Education Reform is critically important. Many of the old and current educational contents can be replaced by AI.
For e.g. 4 years of engineering study, the body of engineering knowledge is in AI, which can be put in use within seconds, and human does not need to go through studying the "bolt and nuts" on the said engineering subject matter.
But students will be trained to grab the main concepts and key principles of that subject matter, e.g. engineering subject, so that students will be trained to operate on the AI App. Over time the professional will be able to "supervise" "manage" and "control" AI operation on the subject matter.
The Irreplaceable Human Attributes
There are human attributes that cannot be replaced by AI.
To name a few, human care and empathy, emotions, human relationship enhancement, the sense of wholesome.
And these human attributes can be categorised? as skill-set to be acquired in interaction with the AI application.
AI certainly will delete millions of current jobs. But AI will create new jobs and new and different skill-sets for those who are ready.
Ecological Activities Monetization and Financialization
Not every person can master new skill-sets to manage AI application. Then for these millions of people, a new system needs to be set up for them to be engage in ecological activities that can be monetized and financialized.
Since AI can increase productivity and efficiency, there is less need for typical current types of jobs and professions, then millions of people should engage in ecological activities, taking care of plants, animals, insects, sea life and nature.
When such ecological activities can be monetized and financialized, these people can play effective role to enhance this mother planet earth with monetary rewards.?
What will happen to developing-countries like Malaysia?
Imagine this scenario, due to geographical strategic advantage, China is planning to invest $10 billion dollars in Malaysia to produce certain products.
But China AI companies say to Malaysia, "We do not need Malaysian engineers, nor Malaysia accountants, because all these can be done by our AI application.
But we need special skill-sets to supervise, manage, control, interface with all inter-connected AI application .
Is Malaysia ready for it?
?Global Vision and New Direction
?"As we, the human being on this planet earth, stand on the brink of widespread automation and artificial intelligence, the real challenge is not in choosing which system—whether Western democracy or China's planned strategies—is superior. Instead, the challenge lies in charting a new course forward, one that embraces both technological advancement and ecological sustainability as intertwined goals."
Regards
Andrew
12th Oct. 2024
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