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268
Palantir CEO Makes Shocking Confession on Disrupting Democratic Power (newrepublic.com)
submitted 4 days ago by homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world
40 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Palantir CEO Alex Karp thinks his AI technology will lessen the power of “highly educated, often female voters, who vote mostly Democrat” while increasing the power of working-class men.

“This technology disrupts humanities-trained—largely Democratic—voters, and makes their economic power less. And increases the economic power of vocationally trained, working-class, often male, working-class voters,” Karp said in a CNBC interview Thursday. “And so these disruptions are gonna disrupt every aspect of our society. And to make this work, we have to come to an agreement of what it is we’re going to do with the technology; how are we gonna explain to people who are likely gonna have less good, and less interesting jobs.”

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[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 110 points 4 days ago (5 children)

While his point probably sounds logical to a person who only wants to hear things that confirm their feelings, I think it is missing an incredibly important point. Yes, AI will probably not be used to replace plumbers, car mechanics, carpenters, etc. And yes, AI will mostly be used to TRY to replace people in office jobs. But assuming his point is true that all those office people lose their jobs (ignoring the whole sexist part of female voters), then who is going to be able to pay wages to those plumbers and mechanics? Trades people in the US are making really good money right now, and that's because office workers in the US are making really good money right now compared to the rest of the world.

It's almost like a rising tide lifts all boats and that helping those around you is better than helping a billionaire who is siphoning up the tidal water to pay for data center cooling.

[–] Filibuster_Rhymes@lemmy.today 31 points 4 days ago

To add to that, many office workers that lose their career will then go get a plumbing license. There will be fewer paying clients AND more plumbers to choose from. Wages will absolutely go down for everyone if there are fewer careers available.

[–] wakko@lemmy.world 16 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

? Trades people in the US are making really good money right now, and that’s because

Look up the average age of plumbers, electricians, and welders. What happens when a body of knowledge living in the collective heads of an aging population gets removed from the labor pool faster than we can get younger folks interested in learning that information?

Wages are high right now, in part, because finding a highly experienced, capable tradesman is constrained by the available supply in a given geographic region.

[–] gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Agreed with a lot of this, but

Yes, AI will probably not be used to replace plumbers, car mechanics, carpenters, etc.

Lots of those people did get replaced already by technology, it was just called industrialization and assembly lines. What's left now is artisan wood working and emergency repair work for plumbers and mechanics, and you can't employ all of America's blue collar workers with luxury stuff and emergencies.

Another thing that doesn't get mentioned here - if AI and self driving cars work out like they want them to, goodbye delivery work and long haul trucking, which actually is a ton of blue collar jobs. Also, self checkout machines and chatbots are eating customer service jobs that less educated workers might otherwise be doing.

The biggest portion of blue collar jobs that will be tough to automate will be everything associated with construction just because they're moving to different sites and jobs faster than it would take to get bots well trained to do that work, but if unemployment jumps and new home sales even look like they might slow down those jobs disappear fast.

My point is - if technology and labor rights get to the point the office workers are starting to feel the bite, guaranteed blue collar workers are all teeth marks by that point. Not that I would expect a CEO to talk honestly about that.

[–] Cherry@piefed.social 3 points 4 days ago

Again if you further take away there’s roles of drivers, reatails assistants who’s gonna have to money to pay for all the delivered goods? It will just strangle the economy.

[–] avidamoeba@lemmy.ca 10 points 4 days ago

It's the classic case of capitalists not understabding where their profits come from. If enough of us get laid off, we'll remind them. Increasing exploitation only works to a point.

[–] daannii@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

High educated women aren't office workers though.

[–] dogslayeggs@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (1 children)

So being a CEO of a tech company isn't an office job? Being a software engineer writing code is not an office job? Being a graphic designer at a magazine isn't an office job?

Where do you think those women work? Yeah, some become doctors or work in science labs, but most people with college degrees work in an office.

[–] daannii@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

It's a management job.

Office work implies secretary and data processing. Phone service.

Yes it's true doctors work in offices but we don't say being a doctor is "office work". We say they work in a clinic or hospital.

Engineers work at firms

Lawyers work at firms

Researchers work in labs/, universities or R&D.

The term "office work" is typically used for mid to low wage work done by people with limited college or university degrees. Like associates or bachelors at most.

I'm sure the guy saying it believes that's the only higher up jobs that women have.

"Office workers". Secretaries.

[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 11 points 3 days ago

Rich assholes: "Let's speedrun making this world into even more of a dystopian shithole."

Also rich assholes: "Why aren't people reproducing anymore?"

[–] Jaysyn@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago

This guy is a cokehead, 100%.

[–] ElectricAirship@lemmy.dbzer0.com 44 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Bro just wants to divide and conquer the lower and middle class

[–] regedit@lemmy.zip 11 points 4 days ago

I wanna divide and conquer their bodies from their heads!

[–] humanspiral@lemmy.ca 12 points 3 days ago

humanities-trained

Code for university educated, which include 1 or 2 generalist humanities classes, and an awareness that fascism = bad. All of the other University classes, no matter the topic, are within the constraints that human destruction is a bad thing. The university program is supposed to motivate the student to help humanity.

vocationally trained

Code for the stupid. While short term threats to blue colar work don't seem obvious, US has been losing manufacturing jobs all year long, and future of manufacturing, to be provided by tech bros or China, is much less labour intensive.

Advice for the stupid... Don't assume Zionazi tech bro loves you and wants anything other than more war on Iran and everyone else after, with him getting paid for it, and paid to surveil dissenters to Zionazi supremacy.

[–] saltesc@lemmy.world 45 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (3 children)

I forget that there are Americans so dumb that the working-class votes Republican.

This is like a woman voting Les Republicains or a healthcare worker voting Tories. Just voting to be fucked.

[–] homesweethomeMrL@lemmy.world 6 points 4 days ago

Propaganda here goes to 11.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works -1 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Be that as it may, voting democrat doesn't change it, democrats are captured by the oligarchy, since before most of us were born. Until we fight under credible leadership we are doomed to fail.

[–] Oyml77@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Better to not vote and let the radical fascists take over, right? I'm sure the exact same things would have happened exactly the same way under a Harris presidency.

[–] teyrnon@sh.itjust.works -1 points 3 days ago

How do you know how anyone voted? What we do know is that the status quo was going to lose and we went with it anyway. So until one with such an opinion crawls out of the ass of the billionaires and joins us in the sunshine, maybe they should stop parroting the shit noises they hear in there.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 29 points 4 days ago (1 children)

So....this guy is blue collar? And doesn't have an education?

Why is it always these types of assholes that hate that women are educated, by the way?

[–] zqps@sh.itjust.works 8 points 3 days ago

Because the target demographic of their propaganda is aggrieved men that lack the education to smell fascism for what it is.

[–] AcidiclyBasicGlitch@sh.itjust.works 10 points 3 days ago

And so these disruptions are gonna disrupt every aspect of our society. And to make this work, we have to come to an agreement of what it is we’re going to do with the technology; how are we gonna explain to people who are likely gonna have less good, and less interesting jobs.”

"This shit does whatever you need to pretend it does in order for you to support it."

[–] krisevol@lemmus.org 6 points 3 days ago (1 children)

He's not wrong. Women dominated fields are going to be some of the first to go when AI starts taking over those jobs.

[–] MyVeryRealName@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

And DEI is not going to be around to save you

[–] ScoffingLizard@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 16 hours ago

I think you mean, men are not going to help when you get kicked out of a job you deserve as much as the next hard working person.

[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 17 points 4 days ago

I'm glad it's getting out there, but this is the least shocking thing I've seen in a few days.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 6 points 4 days ago (2 children)

lol. he believes blue collar men will believe this bs over the obvious it will lesson the power of the commmon man which im using in its universal sense. Yes poors fight amonth the sexes and let us complete our domination of you.

[–] Whostosay@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Will believe it? They already actively help spread the propaganda, we are in the final stages, no what if scenario needed.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 4 days ago

Not all and there is a spectrum and some are wising up and getting it. Most unions don't support it and ones that have had a vocal majority who were like wtf is our union doing.

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 0 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yes poors fight amonth the sexes and let us complete our domination of you.

They seem to be doing quite well at that right now, not to mention how they've set generations on one another. Gen Y and Gen Z seem to spend an awful lot of their political capital on blaming everything on the boomers and the boomers send that energy back.

Neither of them are looking up while they are doing that. Meanwhile, Gen X that have been paying attention will notice that they saw all this before when it came to boomers vs. Silent and Greatest Generations...gee, I wonder why that is?

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 4 days ago

thats actually part of it. the this gen thinks this about that gen. Plenty of boomers, X, Y, and Z at the protests. It skews older unless its a weekend in a major metro which is kinda understandable.

[–] voaw@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago

Omg I’m so shocked by this Shocking Confession 😮

[–] Zephorah@discuss.online 1 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It’s a fair point. The ability to pay these wages is a key part of the ecosystem.

You may need a new toilet, but, af a bid of $3k for a replacement, and the standard trades approach of total due at the end of the job or there’s a lien on your house, you may opt to shit in a bucket due to lack of funds.