Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and the Freedom from Work

Solon, J. (Speaker)

Institute of Philosophy and Scientific Method

Activity: Talk or presentation › Contributed talk › science-to-science

Description

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) and increasing automation raise questions about the place of humans in the society of the near future; especially in terms of their individual freedom and employment. Automation offers to free people from the yoke of day-to-day struggles and enable them to engage in meaningful work and enjoy leisure. By promoting employment, social phenomena – powerful state power, uninhibited market conditions and everything in between – are, at best, permeated with paternalism or, at worst, malevolent forces of oppression. Invoking a minimum level of freedom should therefore be sufficient to show the need to establish a minimum standard of living to protect people’s freedom from toil; at least after the AI revolution. This freedom from toil is the fertile ground of human discoveries, inventions, works, and art. If all citizens were guaranteed freedom from work (formal and informal), concerns about futility, the decline of human civilization, and the superiority of artificial intelligence would amount to nothing. On the contrary, the freedom in question would unleash unprecedented innovative activity and require a huge, revamped economy.

Period	07 Feb 2025
Event title	Upplýsingatæknimessan — þar sem allt tengist: The Information Technology Mass — Where Everything Connects
Event type	Conference
Conference number	15
Location	Reykjavík, IcelandShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International