Amazon Go

[Agent Nationaux]

Amazon are opening a physical store where people can buy what they want without going to the till, having to wait in queues and physically pay for their shopping. They can just walk out with their goods and are automatically charged on their Amazon account. It's pretty clever as the technology detects what you are selecting. It's pretty cool.

Now I'm not a Luddite, but can you imagine what would happen to the unemployment figures if all retailers implemented this technology. This is scary stuff.

 

[NZTailender]

Only because it's a privately owned company to some extent. Fully automated things are great, if the profits are evenly distributed to make up for there being no jobs for people to do.

inb4 libertarians

 

[Shri]

#****themiddleclass

 

[Daemon]

I know next to nothing about the impact of compensation effects but I don't think there'll be that much long term unemployment if this does kick off.

 

[Spikey]

oh amazon should be burnt to the ground but we already knew that

 

[Top_Cat]

Would organise a group of people to go in and pick everything up and put down multiple times then walk out without buying anything.

 

[GIMH]

Only because it's a privately owned company to some extent. Fully automated things are great, if the profits are evenly distributed to make up for there being no jobs for people to do.

inb4 libertarians

Yes let's evenly distribute the profits so that all the people share all the risk, what could go wrong?

 

[Daemon]

Change your username to Top_****

 

[Agent Nationaux]

At least with physical stores Amazon will may more tax than it is currently doing.

 

[Uppercut]

By my count this is the 3,525,211th invention that's going to destroy the labour market and result in mass unemployment.

 

[Shri]

By my count this is the 3,525,211th invention that's going to destroy the labour market and result in mass unemployment.

Wait till we are all living in slums serving our robot overlords.

 

[sledger]

Just another application for the "Internet of Things" I guess.

Not really any more newsworthy than other similar services that are being/about to be rolled out.

 

[Pratters]

Yeah, this will result in more unemployment. What will the people who are unemployed do? I know AI isn't going to be perfect in protecting human rights but unemployment is a larger worry, yes.

 

[Shri]

Ok, guys. I can now see how I am coming across to the rest of you.

 

[NZTailender]

Yeah, this will result in more unemployment. What will the people who are unemployed do? I know AI isn't going to be perfect in protecting human rights but unemployment is a larger worry, yes.

The problem isn't so much unemployment, more that peoples professions will become useless and they'll have to retrain. Which is fine, but there just needs to be systems in place to ensure retraining is smooth for everyone involved.

 

[indiaholic]

I wouldn't worry too much. ATMs didn't lead to mass unemployment among Bank Tellers, right?

 

[Athlai]

I wouldn't worry too much. ATMs didn't lead to mass unemployment among Bank Tellers, right?

Well it did on a branch basis but helped to create new jobs as banks could open more branches. So for some, it certainly did end up sucking.

 

[indiaholic]

There is no technological change that won't affect somebody negatively... That is just the nature of employment. Just like Bank Tellers were forced to move into sales, there will be a shift here too, just don't know where.

 

[sledger]

Yeah, this will result in more unemployment. What will the people who are unemployed do? I know AI isn't going to be perfect in protecting human rights but unemployment is a larger worry, yes.

Debatable.