Paperslop’s resident futurist Noah Donohue envisions life in 2092, when automation has fully replaced human labor.
The automation of all human jobs was completed in 2089 when Venice sank into the ocean putting the last gondoliers out of business. Most people haven’t worked since the mid-2070s. The affordability of artificial intelligence and robotics mean that everybody’s basic needs are met.
There’s no hunger epidemic. Weather systems can predict future climates with exact precision. With precise weather data farming robots can plant and harvest the ideal crops for those conditions. They provide enough food for everyone.
Lesser jobs like teacher and human resources manager haven’t been automated so much as made obsolete. Without a workforce there is no need for formal education. All children are taught by their parents, the basic life skills they need to be happy. From there, everyone is free to pursue life in the way they think will make them feel the most fulfilled. Most turn to art or literature. I’m 24 and have never worked a day in my life.
Now don’t get the wrong idea. I am still very productive and am an accomplished artist. My finger paintings sell on Ebay for premium prices. Usually bought by artificial intelligences interested in cataloging the shape of my hand. It is thrilling to watch them bid on my pieces. It is an honor that these computers battle over my creation. One time I had a piece bought by NGX22. Of all the A.I. It is said to have the best taste in art. The original NGX was used to catalog fingerprints. What better to recognize the beauty of the human hand than a descendent of one who knew them all?
There are cynics who say that the computers don’t care about art. That like their forefathers written in Fortran, they are simply cataloging the essence of humanity for their own purposes. That they are throwing electronic currency at us as a form of conditioning. That we are being trained by our robot overlords to produce data for them to consume. This is preposterous of course, though they are right about the currency being valueless. These cynics are the only people whose art doesn’t get bought.
And artists they are. In a post-labor society, the arts flourish. Everyone is an artist. Everyone creates. Everyone can be fulfilled if they so choose.
We have writers, painters, sculptures, musicians, filmmakers and more. All endlessly talented. Without work we have so much more time to think. Expression of our deepest thoughts and desires is the norm. No set schedule means that nobody has to waste time relaxing on their couch. As far as I’m aware there are no more televisions. Who has time to consume when they are so busy creating? There is very little crime since everyone is too busy engrossed in their latest novel or sketching out their next great work. What malfeasance remains is in the name of performance art.
It’s impossible not to see how much better the world has become. Work is slavery. Now freed from those chains, there is no more joy inequality. From coal miners in Argentina to executives in Chicago, every human’s life has been improved by taking their job away. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to dip my testicles in blue paint as a tribute to people born at other times in history.