kayzersosie
148923
3185
56
Oct 18, 2017 3:14 PM
kayzersosie
148923
3185
56
Gerrery
Putting robots in charge of our food supply will make it easier for them to starve us to death, when the time comes.
LilFern
But this is brilliant! Isn't anyone excited that we might one day have a world where more time can be devoted to our lives and interests?
Redwolf2495
But what happens when they rebel? They'll take our young first...
v
mirrorz
*The Automatic Branch Trimmer may or may not confuse fingers/necks for branches.
PraisePowerfulOdin
Step 1: invest in the robots Step 2: profit
pleasedontcallmeDAN
That's amazing. I love robots.
CheeseborgarSoop
This could mean more food for everyone.
gedeaMoonFlyer
Will use this for the incoming blight
bobjoetom2
We need to fundamentally rethink how our economy is gonna work with no jobs. Capitalism isn't gonna work when only robot owners have money.
IsACouchASeat
It isn't that far off.
theboned1
This is glorious. If we can make food virtually free then that will solve lots of social and economical problems.
Bullheadbelly
Great, now we need to build a wall around robotics
MyFrontPorchInMississippi
LOVE all the people talking about robots taking jobs. Some things never change
thewiggins
humans need not apply, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Pq-S557XQU
Gawky
seriously important !
zFUBARz
It's almost as if universal basic income is the only logical way forward and fighting it is just inviting economic collapse.
Rogahar
LETTUCE. LETTUCE. LETTUCE. LETTUCE. NOTLETTUCEEXTERMINATEXTERMINA- LETTUCE. LETTUCE.
Petedogs
This comment deserves more points.
BionicToad
It's true it does.
IonlyUpvoteTurkeys
Okay. Here's one. ?
Ralvuimego
And then the day comes when the robot learns that humans are also not lettuce.
Ancalagon2096
8NHbit
We feared the Terminators. But we were wrong. For it was the lettuce machines that rose up and wrought an unspeakable evil on our species...
Alphonsevaher
The terminators were actualy trying to STOP the fall of mankind. By killing the inventors.. of the lettus farming machine.
FixedsysLabs
Wasn’t the entire point of robotics and automation to belt agriculture?
Congressenator
lol you guys didn't want Mexicans taking your jobs and spending the money to boost the economy but now robots will further enrich the rich.
ProfessorTenebrae
Cheaper labour means cheaper food for the poorest. Look how cheap food got when farming tech and shipping tech was improved.
sspen
Either that, or help lower the cost of healthy food to allow for poor people to buy it. Most farmers aren't rich
DespiteTheConsantNegativePressConfefe
sydney doesnt have many mexicans at all, plus all done by machines already
KrilatiVoin
the south shall rise again... not that far south!
chugeknight
Convert all the labor into maintenance staff for these amongst other positions and retrain.
PeeterGrant
You've seen Depp's version of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" too many times.
PassiveAggressiveHotdogVendor
Can't turn everybody into maintenance personnel. It wouldn't make financial sense to get the robot in the first place if that were the case.
chugeknight
We combine the laborers into a giant robot. Boom! Solved.
TheCosmicDrifter
Humans need to understand that centralized farming is not how we are going to feed 8 billion people. We need to decentralize to households.
DangerZone24252
Making every single house produce their own food sounds like a nightmare of only a few different foods and tons of space being taken up.
omh1
No, giving up all of the benefits of scale we would not be able to make enough food, we can make far more than we need now, we just don't
omh1
really care as a whole if that food gets shared.
TheCosmicDrifter
The way the global economy is configured, this is certainly the case today, yes. However, this will Be our downfall. This becomes (1/2)
TheCosmicDrifter
obvious very quickly when you look at the cost distribution across the entire value chain. Source: years of analysis at Ag giant (2/2).
omh1
Could you elaborate? economy of scale is not dependent on financial economy
lolsosauras
This is a good thing. Work smarter over harder and it's changing jobs not taking them away.
KissingAssAndForgettingNames
Exactly! people seem to think this is stealing jobs, but employment will just shift to other industries, like with other similar innovations
omh1
what industries? Tech is growing but its total growth since the 80s barely covers just the manufacturing jobs lost in the same period
omh1
and currently available robotic tech could eliminate 40% of jobs, currently only being held up be slow to adapt laws
Dulliest
Illegal immigrants would still be cheaper, disturbing yes but it's the truth.
Py0tr77
yup it explains the sad future we are in, a poor desperate work force is needed because robots are too expensive.
omh1
not really, even if they cost $1/day a $10k robot would break even in less than a year assuming comparable production and constant work
PicassoCT
Little did they know, that t-9000 RiPPA would have a arm, to harvest the testicles of its victims..
Syathis
bpetersen
One day there's not going to be enough jobs and people will have to rely on Gov or get 2 masters degrees just to work at McDonalds
SorryImAwkwardSorry
Was just saying this
ButterfaceTaintClown
So busy worrying about Imgrunts, they clear forgot about robots.
AmmoniumAcetate
Lol like you can get an American citizen to pick fruit for 10 hours for $60
dandelionbomb
Its the goram robut uprising!!
Roshiro
Chrome-dome synths!!
TrueLegateDamar
Tuk ur jer!
SippyTurtle
A DURK A DEEEERRRRR
Drewsifer
ALEXA: Now playing ATURK ER DUR
proletariatblues
Just like the beginning of Interstellar
DoctorDumpster
I feel bad for anyone who isn't a mechanical engineer. One day those will be the only jobs left...
dav8388
And the economy tanks cause people don't have jobs to buy anything.
sspen
Not really. A relatively small percentage of people do these jobs and they're usually underpaid migrant workers.
dav8388
Not just this job. I seeing stories of robots making your burger at McDonald's, fully automated factories, self driving trucks, etc.
TheInfamousPenguin
Universal basic income.
sspen
How would that work?
omh1
At a high level you give every adult resident $30k/year income, less 50% of any additional income they earn. So they have enough money to
omh1
live/function without additional income, but will always be better off to have additional income. ($30k/50% are arbitrary #) Some of the
omh1
Nordic countries actually have implemented UBI systems, and they were trialed in North America with massively positive results
DeathStarWasAnInsideJob
Which is why automation probably would lead to a revolution. Or something equally nasty in the middle of this century.
Hendlton
Good luck convincing America to accept that. They'd rather die because they can't afford to call an ambulance, than accept "socialism."
TiredOfMyUsernameBeingMyActualNameSoIChangedIt
Fucked? This is gonna save our asses by making food way easier to produce effectively and efficiently.
StillNotYouTube
We become dependent on the machines to provide our food. Then the machines decide they don't want to do that anymore.
XtraDownvote
Not how robots work
km9v
But dur takin er jabs!
Carefuler
Doesn't mean they're going to give it away, besides which how will people pay their rent / mortgage?These folks can't do much else.
MarcoPoloOnPollo
Shit, I want to see them put this tech in effect on Mars.
DeinnsBeans
Halo lore has a planet called Harvest that is fully automated and run by a same level AI as Cortana. Sole purpose, make food for humans.
Snooj
Which means there will so many overfed humans that we won't be able to survive. We'll hit critical mass and then plagues will rip us apart.
malismon
Until they gain sentience and decide to stop and we all starve!
shorsey69
It's going to force small farms out of business cuz they can't afford stuff like this
TachyonCode
UBI, here we come.
DannyDoggo
Don't you wonder if the prices will be cheaper for produce?
Exousa
It also demonstrates why we eventually need universal basic income. Economy will go to hell when robots take half the jobs
Kalmah
Sometimes getting fucked is a good thing
samtherat6
Wage gap will increase. The rich won't need to hire the poor for jobs if they can just get robots to do it. It makes it cheaper for them.
thoushaltnotpass
Jose, Jesus and Pedro will have a different opinion on this
TheInfamousPenguin
It's strange... I've never met a Swedish farmer named that so I guess we're fine and can have the nice robot farmers :)
omh1
40%+ unemployment in the imminent future = we are fucked
PickleRick
Seriously. Like, how many of you actually want to do this work?
MikeReese2
Damn straight.
somethingski
Fucked in the sense that all the "unskilled" jobs are going to be done by robots. At least 30% of jobs are gone in the next 20 years
Killersmail
30% you mean 70%. You know how may people are in some sort of trasport job? All of those jobs will be automated.
jprice8579
Jobs are not disappearing they are just changing, which is why we have had a 500% increase in tech jobs while a smaller drop in manufacture
nanyatenyaa
Globally or regionally? The United States is a service base economy.. this matters.
ganz007
Depends where you sit on that. Old fucks like me don't IT. My job dissapeared
AngelicOrb
Will it speed up the growth of pineapples?
ProbablyDrunkAgain
If you're a migrant worker, you're fucked more than you already are.
MikeReese2
I'm saying. People don't want to do this kind of work ..
preaction
Capitalism is not ready for this, at all
Izael
How come?
strcmdman
TL:DR Version the rich will do great anyone else not so much robots are now at the point that they can do any job. Only a matter of time.
omh1
The rich won't even do well long term, our current economy relies on constant consumption of goods, high unemployment will kill that
strcmdman
Precisely. Exactly why we are on crash course. Also think about everyone on food stamps/no meaningful work Utopia doesn't exist.
TheUsernameIsSoLongThatYouCantActuallySeetheSpanishinquisition
Less jobs means less people buying things, less people buying things means slower economy, slower economy means less money
Izael
Or it could mean that people will find other jobs in different sphere?
preaction
Where? What job is completely secure from automation?
omh1
That theory doesn't really hold up, try replacing people with horses, horses used to have a ton of jobs, now combustion engines do them all
HolyCringeLordBatman
Compared to inflation wages have stagnated or dropped as we lost manufacturing. So generally that's not the trend.
Radix865
Loss of jobs to robots, which leads to fewer people being able to buy shit. And consumer economy relies on people buying things constantly.
mardukkur
This is easily fixed with tax-and-transfer policies. UBI, for example. It's not an economic problem, it's a political problem.
omh1
Could you elaborate on that?
MrXtacle
I already plan do start a multi layer aquaponics farm. Stacking plants high to conserve space and harvesting robots to pick finished trays.
BusFarts
Rip all those jobs.
Cubsicus
We can already produce more than enough to stop world hunger the problem is we pay farmers not to so the economy doesn't collapse
PirateRubberDuck
? The UK government buys excess food from farms and ships it abroad as a charitable donation. Keeping farms going and doing good.
yesiamaphysicist
Less than 1% of the surplus is being sent to charities. The rest goes in the waste.
yesiamaphysicist
*shipping and distributing food to places across the planet is not easy or cheap
rabidCOVIDphysician
I’ll corroborate this as the main reason. By the time we could get food to Africa, it all spoils. Taught to me in ~2010 American History AP
strcmdman
Corn and Rice can be dried. The real issue is it's all used for cattle. Also Agg. collectively is way stronger than most realize
yesiamaphysicist
Corn and rice do not make for a sustainable diet.
legalisegaymarijuana
*most of the food we produce is fed to cows to create smaller amounts of more delicious food for rich white people.
HolyOldMackinaw
When I was in S. America they ate more steak than I've ever seen anywhere in the US, and it was way way cheaper too
legalisegaymarijuana
Sorry you're right, people of all shades can be selfish and not care about the environment
zFUBARz
Don't be racist, Rich people of every colour except a couple shades of brown (for religious reasons) love a good steak.
legalisegaymarijuana
You're right, all races can be selfish and not give a shit about the environment.
zFUBARz
god damn right.
strcmdman
It's actually just as much of a problem that Big Agg. which is way bigger than you probably realize has come to rely on our excess 1/2
yesiamaphysicist
Not really. The US throws away about 1/2 its crop output. Rest of the world about 1/3.
strcmdman
to feed meat hungry Americans. Or more accurately feed livestock Source: Bachelors in Soil Science takes piecing together multiple sources2
realistichorsegonadbehavior
We already have an overabundance of food. The problem isn't production, it's distribution.
CompletelyOrdinaryBystander
But GMOs, and global warming, and Ubisoft! Science has given us nothing but horrible things over the years.
Steelballsofstill
@OP is an illegal farm worker
TheAmazingAnalCavity
And in turn increases food pricing because the house never gets fucked
iScootsMcgee
Until some one says robot grown food causes cancer\autism\obesity etc...
Blastergv9
The microwaves from the robots most certainly will, especially if the robots are vaccinated
tallquasi
All food causes obesity unless taken in moderation.
UndeadLahmacun
I can hear them screaming "the infrared from the sensors are manipulating the tomatoe's genes so they cause 'whatever'!"
TangoRhubarb
And that person will be wrong, and starve. Problem solved
JustDontCare
Along with the hundreds of thousabds of low skill workers. Haha VIVA LA REVOLUCION~
TresusIbor
Nah, they'll get a huge following of anti-vaxxers, naturalists, and overall ignorant fuckers and it'll slow progress...as always.
Christx30
One less person in front of me in line at the movie theater.
SirSkellingtonBonerLord
hahahhaha stupidity doesn't work that way
BusinessToast
Uhhhhhhhhhhh
yifin
But how expensive is it and can we convince any immigrants to work cheaper?
YewTube
Food will be twice as expensive because we will be paying for "green" farming.
ProfessorTenebrae
Do...do you know how economics work?
YewTube
Yes. Label a product "green" and you can double the price because people will pay through the nose to alleviate their conscience.
ProfessorTenebrae
That's...nothing to do with it...that has nothing to do with this. This tech increases farming output, which is actually helpful for the 1/3
Bernie2020WILLHAPPEN
fuck the immigrants... sorry fuck the illegal immigrants they can fuck off to where they came from
TabletsForPorn
So can you, please do..... And study up pin what Bernie has said about immigrants
byteme8bit
Everything is always ass expensive when it first comes out. Everything gets cheaper on the 2nd, 3rd, etc models down the road.
Durtschi
And when they can tool up for mass production
drowninginthesouth
With proper maintenance - no smoke breaks, no sick days, 24/7 operations. Like every other machine innovation time and cost saver.
LaughingInTheFaceOfDanger
Apparently you've never seen any of the matrix or Terminator films
JayKaySC
...?
SeamusMCMXCVI
Yeah but no one gives a shit about the long run anymore, it's all about saving money today
TheRaiderofRandom
Soo, where do immigrant agriculture workers get breaks or time off? Cuz it sounds like a nice place.
ButLogicallyTho
Awh you think their still gonna work there once those robots are mass produced?
PopeyeTheSailor
someone still has to maintain the robots
TheRaiderofRandom
Depends on whether those robots are cheaper than near-slave labor. If a robot breaks down, you've got to pay to repair it or get a new one1/
Einstein9073
One machine at $10M, or three immigrants at $1.25/hr. That machine better pick a lot of apples.
SomeOneYouMayKnowOrNot
And it will. 24/7 operation, mass gathering, and ease of use over a long enough time... just look at auto factories.
14itemvendingmachine
10M? LOLOLOLOL
Einstein9073
Too low?
Lambdafish1
Cost lowers as supply is raised. The demand for this is high and I can see it slowly taking off and becoming an affordable option
chuckblues
That's going to suck away a lot of jobs to low skilled people, I see how many folks ignore that point but it's the truth
omh1
It isn't limited to low skill people, current robotics tech can replace 40% of jobs
jprice8579
Jobs are not disappearing they are just changing, which is why we have had a 500% increase in tech jobs while a smaller drop in manufacture
omh1
500% of a tiny number is significantly less than 40% of a massive number, which is part of why wages have stagnated
jprice8579
Wages have not stagnated your take home pay has but how much an employers gives has increased a lot is taken out in taxes and other benefits
omh1
They have: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MEHOINUSA672N That is inflation adjusted, so less than 10k increase in wages in 32 years
jayliu1984
Universal income is the answer. Basically government housing + food stamp + some cash. If you want to enjoy better things, u have to study
SpeedbagNutPunch
and do you remember when a bunch of people where getting salmonella from cantaloupes because some guy was pissing in the irrigation system?
SpeedbagNutPunch
Pepperidge Farm remembers, which is why they’re excited by the idea.
littleBreaker
Nah, even if it makes farming more efficient, population growth will still outpace food output.
HighlySexualLobster
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=98371&page=1
yesiamaphysicist
Food output easily outpaces population growth (which is very quickly declining). The current issue is distribution.
littleBreaker
I hope it haults in 2070 but I’m not putting any bets on it
yesiamaphysicist
Based on trends population will peak at about 10 billion. See talks by Hans Rosling.
byteme8bit
Care to share you sources for this prediction?
littleBreaker
Just the fact that there’s only so much land to plant food on and dwindling water supply, yet pop growth is still going (though slowing)/1
littleBreaker
..partnered with the fact humans can also build UP, not just expand horizontally, & we haven’t started gardening vertically on lg scale yet
jprice8579
Which is why we have made land more efficient in how much can be planted per acre
byteme8bit
Do you know that we aren't even using 100% of farmable land currently? There is PLENTY of area to farm and grow food. 1/2
byteme8bit
I doubt we'd be in "serious trouble" any time before 100+ years, IMHO. But by that time - technology could far surpass our hopes and dreams.
littleBreaker
And also plenty of land to build homes, roads, stores, malls... who knows how it’ll all play out. I hope people become more...
littleBreaker
Yes I took a food scarcity course and interviewed leading food scarcity researchers. These professors were being paid by UNL (Lincoln)...