There are quite a few scary things about this. For one, who’s to say everyone will have access to this (or similar) technology? It will further concentrate wealth in the hands of the few. Also, since that increased productivity is not coming from the human, and is instead coming from the AI, workers’ share of profits will likely decrease, and with it, their bargaining power, and their overall position in the social hierarchy.
Elaborating further on the idea of productivity, as I said above, this doesn’t make employees more productive. It is doing some of the producing. It is not like an improved tool, where someone has to operate it to reap the benefits. It “upgrades productivity” more like how a kiosk at a McDonald’s upgrades productivity - not of the worker, but of the business. And much like the kiosks, we would be naive to believe they won’t replace the humans in due time.
This also has larger consequences for knowledge workers. Previously, to attain a higher level of productivity out of a worker, companies would have to invest in them so they could develop the necessary skills. Gone (or at least lessened) is that need. So workers will have less skill, less job freedom, a smaller share of profit, less social mobility. This is a nightmare for the working class.
Elaborating further on the idea of productivity, as I said above, this doesn’t make employees more productive. It is doing some of the producing. It is not like an improved tool, where someone has to operate it to reap the benefits. It “upgrades productivity” more like how a kiosk at a McDonald’s upgrades productivity - not of the worker, but of the business. And much like the kiosks, we would be naive to believe they won’t replace the humans in due time.
This also has larger consequences for knowledge workers. Previously, to attain a higher level of productivity out of a worker, companies would have to invest in them so they could develop the necessary skills. Gone (or at least lessened) is that need. So workers will have less skill, less job freedom, a smaller share of profit, less social mobility. This is a nightmare for the working class.