The Industrial Revolution as a Cautionary Tale

This pivotal shift laid the groundwork for today's profit-oriented, rapid-paced society, dominated by a select few billionaires and their corporations.

As products became cheaper, the need for skilled artisans diminished. Entrepreneurs, often visionary thinkers, capitalized on these opportunities, leading to swift corporate growth. This transition created numerous jobs, enabling the average person to afford previously unattainable goods.

While quality took a hit, most consumers were indifferent, opting for mass-produced items over pricier handcrafted alternatives.

However, this progress came with significant drawbacks, including rampant worker exploitation and the initial stages of environmental degradation.

Today, even with the conveniences of 2024, it's challenging to determine if the benefits of industrial and technological advancements are worth the overall global costs.

When evaluating the situation, it appears they aren't. Wealth inequality is stark, and the planet faces severe heating, affecting all living beings, including us.

Despite the precarious position we find ourselves in, would we revert to pre-industrial living? Absolutely not—life was far more challenging back then.

The ongoing pattern of weighing benefits against costs is repeating itself in the realm of AI.

What will be the outcome? Do we truly want to find out?

Reflections from Our Ancestors

My late grandmother often recounted her astonishment upon receiving her first twin-tub washing machine in the 1950s.

The ease and convenience were transformative!

Yet, at the time, she had no electricity because her family was living in tents while my grandfather built their home.

He wasn't a builder by trade; he had bought a plot of land in Western Sydney and a book titled How to Build a House. He learned as he went, which took years to complete. My grandmother powered her washing machine by borrowing electricity from a neighbor.

To clean her six children's nappies (due to the absence of the pill), she boiled them in a copper cauldron—a task I can only imagine was tedious.

This depiction by Midjourney reflects a glamorous 1950s scene, but reality was far from that.

In truth, it was more akin to this.

“Why can't women manage their babies' cloths like we used to?” she would say when her granddaughters opted for disposable diapers. “Washing a nappy isn’t hard, and you just create so much waste!”

As a modern woman who enjoys conveniences, I too dislike waste but wouldn't trade my time for the labor of scrubbing dirty diapers. Having two children within fourteen months meant I faced enough laundry challenges already, and it was during this time I truly grasped the effort my grandmother endured, which I acknowledged.

“It wasn't so bad with the twin tub,” she replied. “When I was young, we had to carry buckets of water from the well every week just to do laundry.”

My grandmother passed away in 2009 at the age of 84. While she experienced the dotcom boom, she was not comfortable with technology and never owned a mobile phone or credit card. She believed in saving and spending wisely, arguing that if you did so, you'd never need a credit card.

Strong-willed and opinionated, she adapted to technology when it suited her but often criticized its potential to foster laziness.

It makes me ponder what her views on the current AI surge would be.

Progress Alters Skills and Human Capabilities

If a contemporary individual traveled back to the Stone Age, they would likely struggle immensely. Laundry wouldn't be an issue—clothing as we know it didn't exist—but survival would dominate their every moment.

Survival tasks like hunting (with spears, not firearms), gathering (distinguishing edible plants from poisonous ones), and finding shelter would consume their time.

Starting a fire without matches or going cold and consuming raw meat would be the norm.

These essential skills have largely faded from the modern populace, which partly explains the popularity of survival-themed shows, full of scheming and competition.

You might ask, "Why does it matter if we’ve lost those skills?"

With machines taking over most physical labor, human fitness has declined. According to the 2022 census in Australia, nearly two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese.

Fitness is now viewed as a lifestyle choice rather than a necessity. For busy parents juggling full-time work and family responsibilities, hitting the gym often feels like a luxury.

In this century, technology addiction has surged, negatively impacting mental health and physical well-being.

What skills will we forfeit with AI? More importantly, how will this affect humanity and the planet?

Since 2012, I've written a blog focused on children's crafts. Though it generates some passive income now, establishing it required considerable effort, making "passive" feel misleading.

I design craft projects, photograph them, write articles, and strive to keep pace with trends in video creation, social media, and SEO. I'm not particularly skilled in these areas, and at times, the relentless content creation feels overwhelming.

I've experienced blogger burnout, where I lacked the energy to engage with social media or create new crafts.

This stunted my growth as a blogger, but thanks to periods of intense focus and a solid backlog of projects, my income remained relatively stable.

I once believed blogging was a secure career path that would see me through to retirement, viewing my efforts as an investment in the future.

While traditional occupations are being replaced by machines—think fully automated warehouses, autonomous vehicles, and self-service checkouts—the internet seemed a bastion of opportunity.

I was mistaken. AI is rapidly transforming the blogging landscape. Individuals who once carved out careers are now losing income and must adapt or risk being sidelined.

Machines, trained on existing human-generated content, are filling the void because people prefer efficiency over skill acquisition. As with the Industrial Revolution, profit and convenience drive this trend.

I utilize AI as well; I refuse to be left behind. Yet, I share my grandmother's discontent toward those who rely on AI for inspiration and creativity.

The advantages of AI are apparent, but many potential drawbacks remain unexamined.

Let’s highlight some already evident issues.

AI is Compromising the Internet

The web is inundated with content produced by bots, including articles, images, recipes, poetry, and even craft tutorials.

Much of this content lacks substance. While it may appear polished, it often lacks originality, as AI relies on existing styles and merely tweaks them.

Copyright and privacy laws are struggling to keep pace with the challenges posed by AI. Our preferences are swiftly analyzed by social media and browsing algorithms, resulting in targeted ads that keep us online longer and enrich those companies.

AI Images: Flawless Yet Uninspiring

What makes us human are our imperfections. We make errors, bear blemishes, and age naturally, while AI-generated images present an unnaturally flawless appearance. Zooming in reveals skin without pores, and animal fur appears too perfect.

Stock photo libraries are increasingly filled with AI-generated images, overshadowing those captured by skilled photographers.

AI-Generated Writing Falls Flat

While bot-generated articles are technically accurate and well-structured, they often lack engagement, causing my attention to wane. It's evident when fiction is penned by a bot due to its formulaic nature.

Bots are restricted from discussing certain sensitive topics, which is understandable. However, this leads to a controlled narrative that I find troubling.

It's patronizing to be directed to seek help when searching for specific subjects. AI-generated writing lacks the genuine emotional depth that only humans can provide.

While machine learning effectively mirrors human thoughts, I prefer authentic human perspectives.

AI Threatens Future Careers for Youth

Today's youth enjoy unprecedented conveniences, but at what cost?

One of my daughters excels in technology and aspires to be a programmer. Yet, with AI's rapid advancement, the demand for human programmers is shrinking as machines can complete tasks more efficiently.

She’s expressed doubts about the relevance of learning programming languages now.

My other daughter has a natural talent for art, honed through countless hours of practice. At just 14, her work surpasses that of bots because it embodies genuine creativity.

I can’t envision her ever abandoning her passion for art, as it’s an intrinsic part of her identity. Creative individuals are driven by an internal urge; recognition and financial reward are secondary.

Yet, making a living through artistic endeavors will become increasingly challenging, relegating them to hobbies rather than professions. Bots will dominate the market, delivering comparable work in mere seconds.

With AI tools available at minimal costs, why pay a fair price for human artistry?

Are we at risk of losing human illustration skills too?

The Rich Get Richer Through AI

AI's cost-effectiveness and efficiency will enhance profit margins and productivity. Some estimates suggest AI could automate up to 45% of tasks in sectors like retail, hospitality, and healthcare.

This is beneficial for some, but it poses a significant threat to those already facing socioeconomic challenges, limiting their job prospects.

For the middle class, those with home computers can potentially generate additional income online, but standing out amidst countless others with similar ideas is increasingly difficult.

Everyone's Expected to Hustle

In my grandmother's era, a single income was often sufficient to support a family of six—though in reality, they lived in poverty, and my grandmother worked while raising her children.

In the 1990s, dual-income households became the norm, making it challenging to survive on a single salary.

Now, in 2024, even two full-time earners often struggle to make ends meet, leading to the rise of side hustles—a trend that is likely to continue.

In the USA, a survey indicates that 39% of working Americans have a side gig, with variations across generations: 24% of Baby Boomers, 40% of Generation X, and 50% of Millennials, while Gen Z's figure drops to 46%, possibly due to many still living with parents.

Potential Mental Decline

As automation increases, humanity's mental health may mirror the decline seen in physical health post-Industrial Revolution.

With technology doing much of the work, skills like arithmetic, writing, and creativity may become optional, while social skills diminish in importance.

I won't delve into how this trend might exacerbate the already high levels of anxiety and depression, but it's a probable outcome.

What Lies Ahead?

Your prediction is as good as mine, but perhaps science fiction has some insights.

I appreciate AI as I do coffee and alcohol—it's beneficial yet potentially harmful. Granting it too much influence could jeopardize society, humanity, and the planet.

What are your thoughts? Do you embrace AI, feel indifferent toward it, or harbor resentment?