Jaron Lanier on Robot vs. Human Labor
on Monday, June 10, 2013Jaron Lanier Money Quotation saying because of Moore’s Law making computer driven machines smarter and capable of doing things more cheaply than humans, that human labor appears too expensive. Jaron Lanier said:
“When machines get incredibly cheap to run, people seem correspondingly expensive” — Jaron Lanier
In this quote, Jaron Lanier is pointing out a relationship between the rising capabilities and declining costs of technology versus perceptions of human labor. As machines, computers and other automated systems become ever more powerful yet inexpensive to operate, Lanier suggests that people by comparison seem increasingly expensive resources.
The quote implies that when technological infrastructure can be run for minimal fees, the salaries and benefits required to employ human workers start appearing less affordable.
Overall, Lanier appears to be observing how advances in low-cost automation can relatively diminish perceptions of the financial value of human work and employees.