David Stern's Blog on Energy, the Environment, Economics, and the Science of Science
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Economics of the Singularity
I recently read part of this book: "The Lights in the Tunnel". I don't think it makes a lot of sense in terms of the outcome - the economy collapses from lack of demand as unemployment rises. But the basic idea is intriguing. Up till now machines and computers have taken over many tasks but they have acted as "q-complements" to labor in general and particularly skilled labor.* But could the future be one where all simple tasks are automated and the remaining jobs are too hard for people of ordinary ability to do?** And what happens when/if the "Singularity" occurs - when computers become more intelligent than humans? Does inequality continue to grow beyond anything we see today? Will redistribution increase? Is there a middle way? Is this whole idea totally mistaken? Or will humans be enhanced by genetic manipulation or implanting of non-biological computers?
There are economists and entrepreneurs/technologists who have thought about this. But I don't think anyone has any real answers yet.
* If an increase in an input increases the marginal product of another input then those two inputs are q-complements.
** More precisely the most that anyone is willing to pay for a human to do these automatable tasks is less than the minimum amount needed for subsistence.
I have the pleasure to brief you on our Data Visualization software
ReplyDelete"Trend Compass".
TC is a new concept in viewing statistics & trends in an animated way
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Link on Drilling feature (Parent/Child) - Just double-click on any bubble:
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NBC presentation on TED using Trend Compass exported Videos on CNN
Money/Fortune:
http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2010/12/21/from-laughing-to-judging-in-fifty-years-the-evolution-of-televised-emotion/
Link on our new Geographical Trend Compass (Earthquake in Japan - Mag
vs Depth vs Time):
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Link on Ads Monitoring on TV Satellite Channels.
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http://www.epicsyst.com/test/v2/us_insurance_funds/
http://www.epicsyst.com/test/v2/aaim_fund_performance/
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http://www.epicsyst.com/test/v2/swinefludaily/
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Princeton University project on US unemployment :
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A video presentation by Professor Alan Krueger Bendheim Professor of
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http://epicsyst.com/trendcompass/princeton.aspx?home=1
You can download a trial version. It has a feature to export
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http://www.epicsyst.com/TrendCompass/FreeVersion/TrendCompassv1.2.2.zip
Video on Trend Compass:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzDCGB8xBq4&feature=related
Since we already develop 3D Virtual Reality applications, please find
below a link on a prototype for a new 3D VR Trend Compass application:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueqULRUvikg&feature=related
Regards.
Amr Salah
Trend Compass Team
Epic Systems
www.epicsyst.com