A few weeks ago, I was invited to discuss forestry on Shaw TV spotlight with John Brink. I was excited to discuss the current state and future of forestry but we ended up talking a lot about automation. Most people are frightened by the idea of robots taking over our jobs so I think it is something that deserves to be discussed.
Imagine a future where everything from fast food jobs to surgeons are now replaced by robots. If this makes you uncomfortable, I understand. Automation is going to affect nearly every single industry so we need to prepare. One of the world's leading experts on AI, Kai-Fu Lee, estimates that 40 per cent of jobs could be automated by 2035. Whether your a truck driver or a lawyer, people are actively working to create a robot to replace your job, so how do we prepare?
I think we need to talk about taxing these robots at a level that is equal to the income tax revenue of jobs lost to automation and artificial intelligence. As the tech industry dramatically increases their already astronomical profits, we need to make sure that they are paying their fair share to support our communities and not just lining the pockets of CEOs and venture capitalists. Small businesses must be exempt from this tax because ultimately, it’s going to be them who suffer the hardest. This revolution in technology is already started and it’s building up speed. We need to make sure that no one is left behind and that our local economies are not decimated.
I was first introduced to this idea by Amnita Kuttner, a Green candidate in Burnaby, but they are by no means the only one talking about this issue. Bill Gates is another example of a highly educated professional in the field that agrees we need a robot tax to help blunt the impact of job loss by automation. We can use this tax revenue to sustain our social services and invest in areas that human labour should not be removed from, such as child care and support for the elderly.
We can already see the beginning of AI and automation taking over fields such as transportation, warehouse jobs, harvesting timber and our sawmills. It’s not just blue-collar jobs, either. AI can be used for jury selection and analyzation during trials even going as far as determining details from past cases in record time. The question is won’t lawyers panic when they can’t bill more hours? Some don’t think so. Experts believe they will use it to their strategic advantage and clients will come back again and again because of the fast conflict resolution.
Gates made a great point in an article about the robot tax. He said we should be excited about this innovation because when we fear change we can’t move forward with a positive outlook. We need to manifest the positive future we want to see. If we want smaller class sizes, better care for our elders, more time to spend with our families then we need to approach AI with that outlook. Let’s take advantage of the inevitable change that is coming and use it to make our lives easier and more rewarding! This will take careful policy creation to make sure that the governments tax these tech giants for their robots, the same as if they were real humans.
If you have read this whole article thinking AI meant artificial insemination instead of intelligence, welcome to the farmers club! It took me a while to get used to it too but it’s a terrible mistake when you mess it up. At least you get a few laughs.
