The above is a YouTube “music video” of “Bobby” McFerrin singing his 1988 hit, “Don’t Worry Be Happy”. For those who need to “goggle”; the gentleman is one Robert Keith McFerrin Jr., an American jazz singer, songwriter and conductor.
Mr McFerrin’s “hit” has been chosen both as title and the illustrative blog-post head as it perfectly encompasses what the national and international establishments will require of the World’s citizenry!
We are heading to a world where almost every aspect of paid employment will be able to be performed by machines, be they the “androids” of Sci-Fi aka “humanoid robots”, industrial (non humanoid) robots and the so-called “AI” and “AGI” computer programmes!
This of course presents a logical paradox to our political rulers: If businesses have no need of human workers and all paid work is now carried out by machines and computers, who is going to earn the money to purchase the goods and services the businesses provide via their machines and computers?
Clearly, there will be a need for the unemployed humans to be provided with the necessary income not only to keep destitution at bay but at an income level that will enable them to be consumers able to adequately provide a sales income for the businesses using the machines and computers!
Of course, these humans will have to be provided with access, opportunities to enable them to find activities to keep them physically active and mentally stimulated!
Mercifully, these developments will not happen overnight and hopefully our politicians will be able to adopt policies that can manage a transition that will be as significant as the transition from hunter gathering to farming thousands of years ago!
A gentleman who recently addressed this topic on YouTube is Sam Evans.
Mr Evans styles himself as “The Electric Viking”. He describes himself as an electric car fan from Melbourne, New South Wales. He states he is also a motoring fan, a renewable energy advocate, marketing specialist, dad, BMX rider with his two boys (Jack 8, and Cal 5), part time surfer, and general lover of planet Earth.
Although he is on the opposite side of the “climate change” fence to me, I like Mr Evan’s optimistic, up beat attitude and style. There is too much “doom and gloom” dystopia on YouTube and the internet generally and truth be told, I am a contributor to that!
Here, Mr Evans opines upon the future along similar lines as I just have. His three quarter hour long video is well worth a listen.
I have of course to inject a certain realism into Mr Evan’s commentary: The developments he talks about will require a vast increase in the electrical generating capacity across the planet. Mr Evans is of the deeply mistaken opinion that this can be provided by solar power and wind turbines!
I agree with Mr Evans that there is a Utopian aspect to the future. There is however a dystopian aspect as well.
My biggest concern is that the world’s political establishments are composed of people who are not best equipped to deal with these challenges!