Summary Of Smarter Than Us: The Rise Of Machine Intelligence

In his book Smarter Than Us: The Rise of Machine Intelligence, Stuart Armstrong writes, “If an AI possessed [social abilities, technological development, or economic ability] at a superhuman level, it is quite likely that it would quickly come to dominate our world in one way or another” (15). The fear of submission to technology troubles many people, especially in our age of rapidly advancing technologies. Common entertainment media depict robots annihilating humanity or turning evil, such as in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey when a homicidal supercomputer decides that its assigned mission matters more than the lives of humans in the way. Though these depictions captivate a large audience, they do not threaten the working class of America. Corporate analysts handle a more practical problem presented by the rise of artificial intelligence: employment deficiency.

It is in their best interest to employ workers who will do the job well. So, if AI continues succeeding to the point where it can do something better than humans, what will stop employers from hiring robots that can do the task better? Since machines do not need salaries, business owners significantly increase profits by employing them instead of people. The McKinsey Global Institute from McKinsey & Company, a worldwide management consulting firm, wrote a report discussing their prediction that the U.S. will lose 70 million jobs within the next twelve years because of automation (CITE). Automation is the automatically controlled operation of an apparatus, process, or system by mechanical or electronic devices that take the place of human labor (Merriam-Webster). According to the report, up to 32% of workers will need to “switch occupational categories” because their job will be replaced (McKinsey