Who Will Own the Robots? As machines and software—capital—become ever cheaper
Who Will Own the Robots? As machines and software—capital—become ever cheaper and more capable, it makes sense to use less and less human labor. That’s why the prominent Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs recently predicted that robots and automation would soon take over at Starbucks. But there are good reasons to believe that Sachs could be wrong. The success of Starbucks has never been about getting coffee more cheaply or efficiently. Consumers often prefer people and the services humans provide. An Orison of Sonmi-451 (Cloud Atlas)Told as an interview, this story is set in the future, in a world where corporations rule at the expense of individuals. Clones (fabricants) are created to perform service functions. One such fabricant is Sonmi-451, a former dinery server. She begins her interview by telling of her life as a fabricant. She worked in a Papa Song’s, a kind of futuristic fast food joint, where the clones take orders, clean up the dining room, and serve the food. They are housed at the restaurant; work nineteen hour days; and never see natural sunlight.The population of this corporate society is divided into “pure-bloods” (naturally born individuals) and “fabricants” (clones). Sonmi explains that fabricants are widely believed not to have a personality, but that is a myth perpetuated by the pure-bloods. -- source link
#cloud atlas#robots#vat clones#fabricants#machine personhood