This blog post takes a deep look at the issues of inequality and alienation hidden behind the prosperity brought by technological advancement from various perspectives.
We are in the age of abundance. Industries that have made great strides since the Industrial Revolution are once again making great leaps forward with the development of digitized technology. Technologies that we once considered science fiction are gradually becoming a reality. Autonomous cars that do not require a human driver have already been developed, and AI assistants like Siri are playing an important role in our daily lives. In addition, in warehouses, instead of people manually carrying goods as in the past, multiple machines are now in charge of logistics with their precise movements. Thanks to these changes, we are enjoying a more convenient and efficient life, and the impact of this is felt in all aspects of our lives.
We can see how much technological progress has changed our lives by looking at each technology not in isolation, but from a broader perspective, such as economic indicators. Labor productivity is increasing faster and faster as time goes by, and workers are producing more in less time. GDP is increasing every year, and intangible assets that are not included in GDP are also growing. Intellectual assets, organizational capital, user-generated content, human capital, etc. are continuing to expand quantitatively and qualitatively. There is no disagreement that technological progress is enriching our lives.
However, the author of “The Second Machine Age” points out the problems behind the benefits of these technological advances. While it is true that productivity is skyrocketing as technology advances, it is also replacing human labor, and as a result, the value of workers is gradually decreasing. Technology has basically developed in a way that allows humans to perform their tasks more efficiently, and now it has reached the point where it threatens human jobs themselves. This is why technology is inevitably becoming a ‘substitute’. In particular, the development of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to machines gradually taking over not only simple repetitive tasks but also tasks that require professional judgment, reducing the role of humans. Experts predict that artificial intelligence will surpass human intelligence by 2045.
The changes brought about by technological advancements do not only affect the jobs of workers. In fact, technology is also having a major impact on various structures and cultures in society. For example, AI-based recommendation algorithms are influencing the information and content we come across every day, changing the way people communicate with each other. This change has also brought about a major shift in the way we consume information, and now, rather than information being distributed according to individual choices, there is a greater chance of being exposed to information that has been selected by a specific technology. This has led to people focusing only on the information they prefer, and there is a concern that social diversity is being reduced as a result of fewer opportunities to encounter new perspectives.
Even now, technological advancements are threatening the prosperity of humanity. While wages for middle-wage workers, often referred to as the middle class, have barely risen in recent decades, the income of those in the top 1 percent has increased dramatically. A small number of designers and engineers who develop technologies that replace human labor, or more accurately, do it better, become billionaires, while many of those who used to work in those jobs are likely to become unemployed because they are no longer competitive. Differences in education levels lead to differences in demand, and the wage gap is widening. This skill-biased technological change is deepening income inequality and the gap in wealth is gradually widening.
In addition, consumers with more choices due to technological advances can enjoy the best products with just one choice. In the past, if a worker who could do the work of 80 people was paid the wages of 80 people due to limited supply in a competitive market, now only the best technology is selected, creating a so-called “winner-take-all” market. As the benefits of technological advancement are not evenly distributed throughout society, but are concentrated on a specific minority, the middle class is gradually losing its position.
“The development of Android frees us from hard and monotonous work,” Andrew McAfee said in his lecture. If technology can free humans from simple labor, they can use the time they used to spend on simple labor for creative and innovative work. For example, creators and innovators can come up with better ideas for social development and engage in productive discussions. In other words, technological advancement can be a tool that opens up infinite possibilities for the development of human society by providing humans with the opportunity to focus.
However, as seen in the luddite movement, the introduction of new machines can also cause anxiety about unemployment for existing workers. Just as factory workers feared that machines would take their jobs back then, more job categories are threatened today by the combination of big data and artificial intelligence. In particular, there is a prediction that the development of AI response systems will gradually eliminate the need for human resources in areas such as counseling services. Some people are optimistic that new jobs will be created with the advent of new technologies, but the reality is that there are not as many new jobs as there are jobs that will be replaced by technology.
Technology alone will not guarantee the happiness of humanity through the rise of economic indicators. Even if overall income increases, if the benefits are concentrated only in certain classes and the lives of the middle and lower classes do not improve, the benefits of technological progress will only be the privilege of a few. If the gap continues to widen, it will become more difficult to move between classes, and the possibility of economic inequality leading to political inequality will also increase. A structure that only serves the interests of a small number of elites cannot be stable, and technological development is unlikely to lead to true human happiness in a situation where social balance has been destroyed.
In conclusion, technological development has laid the foundation for human prosperity and abundance, but it will no longer guarantee human happiness. I am not suggesting that we should stop technological progress. However, I would like to emphasize that we should not be optimistic about the future based solely on economic indicators, but rather look at the social problems behind them and work to build a stable society through the elimination of inequality and equal opportunities. Only then will we be able to create a healthy society in which everyone can enjoy the true benefits of technological progress.
