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Commodified Intelligence (herecomesthemoon.net)

submitted 1 week ago by alyaza@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org

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Ignoring extinction and singleton risks, the bare minimum you should be horrified of is a commodification of intelligence, and what that means in a world with an uneven distribution of power and resources.

Commodified Intelligence.

That’s the phrase I’ve been trying to put a finger on for a while now.

The reason why dead-end so-called unskilled labor sucks is that you are fundamentally replaceable. The market enforces a pretty brutal equilibrium. White-collar jobs suck less because you are less replaceable, and maybe even get to convince yourself that your work matters, either for yourself or for society. You have some narrative arc attached to it that just isn’t there if you’re completely replaceable.

Whether you have a white-collar job or not, commodified intelligence fundamentally makes workers more replaceable, and this is bad for them.

It doesn’t matter that we’re all subjected to horrible AI-generated slop food posters as long as the margins are positive. It doesn’t matter that some diffuse component of quality, or a human touch are missing. Not as long as the margins are positive.

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[–] MangoCats@feddit.it 1 points 1 week ago

How have the devalued demographic fared since?

To a large extent, they have been replaced with non-citizens. While much is made of physical ability being replaced by machines, it's far from 100% achieved today. Where physical labor remains necessary, it's largely filled by a "2nd society" - and members of the "1st society" rarely entertain the notion of pursuing anything resembling a career in doing the physical labor. Meanwhile, the "2nd society" gets abused with limited if any protections from hazardous working conditions, etc.