|
The irrelevance of robotsSuppose Chinese people are not really people, they are robots. They are self-replicating molecular systems with arms, hands, legs, eyes, ears, and brains -- their AI is fully equivalent to human intelligence. They are programmable and respond to human language. They make their own tools. Some can supervise others and participate in the design of their own tasks. Many of them use nanoscale machines, for example in the manufacture of silk, wood, and food. Others use macroscopic machines. The economy is entirely automated, with all jobs done by robots or machines operated by robots. There is no need for human labor or attention anywhere in the Chinese economy. The robots are abundant and disposable, so there is no need to worry about safety helmets, welder's goggles, breathable air, etc. They are even better than slaves, because you don't have to buy them -- if you are a factory manager, they just appear at your door when needed, and there seems to be an endless supply of them. However, it does cost about $20 a day to maintain them -- even the most basic Chinabots require a certain amount of fuel and maintenance -- and the high-end models with advanced features cost quite a bit more. (We are assuming that everybody in China is a robot, including managers and engineers.) If this little fantasy were true, how would that change my situation as a customer in a hardware store? Many of the items for sale were made in China. If they were made by robots instead of people, would I notice any difference? No, I wouldn't. The difference between a nation of people and a nation of robots would be transparent to me as a customer buying their exports. It wouldn't mean that products from China would be free. They wouldn't be free if the Chinese were robots, for the same reason they aren't free now. A $2 screwdriver from China would still be a $2 screwdriver from China, even if they were all robots. In other words, the existence of a billion robots, with fully human capability, would not change my situation in any essential way. |