Artificial intelligence: ‘Homo sapiens will be split into a handful of gods and the rest of us’ | Business | The Guardian: “There will be people who own the AI, and therefore own everything else,” he says. “Which means homo sapiens will be split into a handful of ‘gods’, and then the rest of us. “I think our best hope going forward is figuring out how to live in an economy of radical abundance, where machines do all the work, and we basically play.” It doesn't have to be dystopian (see: The Culture). Our biggest barrier is not the machines, it's ourselves. Capitalism is based on selfishness and greed, not equality. It leaves people unprepared and incapable of dealing with the potential of the future. Why do we assume factory workers can't be the next generation of philosophers or technicians? Do we forget that inequality of education wastes brilliant minds? Do we forget that being poor robs people of the time and energy required to re-skill or upskill? What if every utterly bored worker (of any class or kind) could ditch their hated job and pursue their passion? Sure many would happily pursue passions that don't advance humanity, but what if we freed up just a handful of wasted geniuses who cure disease and reverse ageing?
Can You Teach a Coal Miner to Code? — Backchannel — Medium: As America switches from an industrial economy to a digital one, its bluest collar workers are facing the toughest challenge of their lives. Can miners really learn how to code? ...obviously yes, but it's a great read hearing how one group is doing it.