Jaron Lanier on Humans vs. Computers

Posted by admin on Sunday, June 9, 2013

Jaron Lanier Money Quotation saying a computer gets cheaper and faster while people don’t change or improve, we don’t get less expensive as computing does, yet we expect ever higher payment for our human services. Jaron Lanier said:
 

 

“Moore’s Law means that more and more things can be done practically for free, if only it weren’t for those people who want to be paid” — Jaron Lanier

 

 

In this quote, Jaron Lanier is commenting on how Moore’s Law of technological progress affects perceptions of labor costs. Moore’s Law states that computing power doubles every couple years while getting cheaper, enabling more capabilities at lower prices.

Lanier suggests this also means more things could essentially be done “for free” if not for the need to pay human workers. The quote implies that from a purely economic perspective, as technology advances according to Moore’s Law it makes people seem relatively expensive compared to automated systems.

However, Lanier appears to be critiquing this view by pointing out the need to fairly compensate human workers even as technology becomes more powerful and affordable over time.