this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
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[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 31 points 3 days ago (2 children)

China definitely doesn't want that many workers suddenly disenfranchised and angry

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Why does the Chinese government worry about sudden mass unemployment in a way Western governments do not?

[–] Jumi@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They're walking a thin line between restrictive policies and QoL guarantees.

It's hard to explain as a non-native English speaker but they basically guarantee an acceptable way of living with mobility, housing, jobs and other stuff in exchange for control, surveillance and censorship.

In Western government the equation looks different, at least for now.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

Idk if the equations are different. The values are certainly different

[–] flandish@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

because there’s billions of workers to riot as compared to say a few hundred million in the US.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 days ago

Ding ding ding

[–] A_norny_mousse@piefed.zip 64 points 4 days ago (9 children)

I like this, and so should anyone who wants to see China on an ethical gradient, not black or white. This is unironically one of the advantages of centralized, authoritarian and undemocratic government: you can make decisions like this, just like that. And sometimes these decisions are good, far-sighted.

Now let's not forget about the downsides of China's totalitarianism.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 12 points 3 days ago

US government is gonna use this to talk about how anti ai movements are "cawmmunist"

[–] Insekticus@aussie.zone 15 points 4 days ago

I appreciate your nuanced take of recognising achievements where they are made for humans and humanity, while also recognising that no country is perfect and that we are allowed to ask for more from our government and a better future for ourselves without exploitation.

Something most of the tankies can't seem to appreciate for themselves.

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[–] Sanctus@anarchist.nexus 65 points 4 days ago (1 children)

The legal reasoning cuts through corporate justifications—AI implementation is a voluntary business decision, not an unforeseeable catastrophe.

It makes sense. Nobody is ready to figure out what to do with those workers cause the chuds of the world are afraid of what happens when you give people UBI (they want to lord over other people through wealth and inequality)

[–] ByteJunk@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago (1 children)

There are definitely worse worlds than one where UBI is what comes out of the AI race... One can dream.

[–] evenglow@lemmy.world 12 points 4 days ago

It's not a dream. It's a requirement.

The alternative is a nightmare.

[–] scarabic@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Because China’s government knows the last thing it needs is a bunch of unemployed people.

It’s so weird how single-party rule can sometimes be more responsive to the people. Because there’s no illusion: if the people get unhappy enough, CCP is gone.

Meanwhile the US we live with these bizarre illusions about how the people are truly in power, while our government is driven into the ground by plutocrats and their pet priests.

[–] Karmanopoly@lemmy.world 60 points 4 days ago (6 children)

Nobody's considered who is gonna buy all the stuff when all the employees are laid off

[–] queerlilhayseed@piefed.blahaj.zone 37 points 4 days ago (2 children)

The future is two corporations, eternally B2Bing back and forth across the desiccated husk of the Earth. A perfect, all-encompassing synergy.

[–] Snowcano@startrek.website 9 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This feels like the makings of a good one-off SciFi short in an anthology book or something.

[–] bufalo1973@piefed.social 7 points 4 days ago

They already did it. An episode of Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.

[–] Wooki@lemmy.world 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Alien earth pretty much covers this utopia (sarcasm) already. Few huge corporations run earth as a corporatocracy.

[–] douglasg14b@lemmy.world 18 points 4 days ago (2 children)

I think a statistic I saw recently was that nearly 50% of American consumer spending is attributed to the top 10% of consumers.

Which would largely indicate that it doesn't matter because those who have the money will continue to spend it and those that don't will continue to get poorer.

[–] Humana@lemmy.world 13 points 4 days ago (1 children)

This is what's happening to Vegas, the number of visitors is dropping but the casino profit is increasing. The city no longer caters to the middle class but to millionaires.

[–] Vanth@reddthat.com 5 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

Do Vegas casinos own a sizeable stake in online gaming? If so, it would be interesting to see what part of those increasing profits are due to us poors spending on online gaming increasing while we never set foot in Vegas.

[–] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

yes and yes. and it was theorized that their online gaming would cannibalize the physical locations which this could also suggest.

[–] MrFinnbean@lemmy.world 4 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I have always loved the saying: Lie, outrageous lie, statistic.

Data is a wonderfull thing, but it often can be really easily to be presented in a way, that while being true, is not representing the truth.

Like if we would just look the numbers containing just necessities and remove the luxury products it would not be that lopsided.

[–] TronBronson@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago

like if you removed luxury products what would this country even produce beside suffering?

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[–] NottaLottaOcelot@lemmy.ca 13 points 4 days ago (3 children)

This kicks the can down the road a bit, but I don’t see how this is cause for celebration. Businesses will just open a new company and avoid having that company hiring humans to escape labor laws that relate to job elimination. This can all likely be escaped with a little legal hopscotch.

[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 28 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

That's what regulation is.

Making things inconvenient over and over again so worse things don't happen, or take significantly longer and require more concerted effort to happen. It's a good thing. We should make it harder for bad actors to do shitty things.

Pretending something is pointless because it may not be 100% effective is absurd.

[–] TerdFerguson@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago

Pretending something is pointless because it may not be 100% effective is absurd.

I feel like this point needs to be made more and more lately. Perfect is the enemy of better.

[–] Peruvian_Skies@sh.itjust.works 11 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Eating is also just kicking the can down the road, you'll just get hungry again later.

I never understood this kind of argument. Everything is just kicking the can down the road, that doesn't make it not worthwhile.

[–] CheeseNoodle@lemmy.world 9 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Honestly I think its China just protecting its economy, western businesses are already finding that AI now costs more than just hiring humans and gives a worse output, the chinese government is just preventing their own economy from falling into the same trap.

[–] Rivalarrival@lemmy.today 1 points 2 days ago

In a socialized economy, unemployment should be a goal. If a worker can be replaced with AI, the employer's taxes should increase, and UBI should increase.

The economy that demands humans perform work better performed by machines is deeply perverted.

[–] WoodScientist@lemmy.world 5 points 3 days ago (7 children)

They say they don't want to replace workers. They say they just want to use AI to make existing workers more efficient. Very well; let's hold them to their word.

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