Post-work

Automation could make our lives easier and more convenient – but once machines do all the work, will we have enough to do?

Automation makes life simpler, but will it put us all out of work? Almost half of all jobs could be automated, according to one influential study in the United States. Economists and futurists worry that it could sharply increase inequality, or even create a few very wealthy capital owners and massive unemployment.

So how might we deal with this version of the future? Many think huge numbers of jobless might warrant a universal basic income, which is a payment to everyone regardless of their financial situation. Aaron Bastani, the author of Fully Automated Luxury Communism, thinks machines should do all the work while we reap the rewards – but to work that would require a move from capitalism to some form of collective ownership.

There’s also the question of what we would do without jobs. “Human beings tend not to do so well when they have nothing but time on their hands,” says Jeff Noonan, a professor of philosophy at Canada’s University of Windsor. But leisure studies expert Benjamin Hunnicut from the University of Iowa suggests work has become “an end in itself” and says we should embrace shorter hours. Both say the key is to balance work and leisure, and to ensure both are rewarding. Striking that balance could be a major challenge in a more automated world.

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Image credit: Piero Zagami and Michela Nicchiotti.