What would education be like in a society where work was optional?

[FunGate]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Most education systems are designed to prepare people for the work force, because it's hard to survive in this world without being great at following directions, writing, and understanding some other complexities.

I think creativity and art will become the greatest mental assets in a society of easy abundance. If the majority of the population won't have to work, they'll have to be capable of keeping themselves fulfilled and occupied in other ways.

How do you think the approach to education will adapt to AI and other revolutionary technologies?

[SnowAugustine]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Why would "earning a living" be not essential to living a decent life because of AI?

[ripthesystem]

I also don't see any correlation between tech advancement and earning one's living.
Developed AI and robotization will not make everything free in an instant, mostly they will just decrease the amount of manual labor workplaces. This is the difference, although not because we won't have to earn money - with the decline of manual labor, people will have to focus on other aspects, for example arts and entertainment. In this case education will follow the trend.

[darkangel11]

Posters above me are right about education. It will still be preparing us for work even in a world where robots are dominating in every aspect of our lives.
Think about it for a moment. Somebody has to design and maintain these machines. They will never be able to upgrade themselves and we shouldn't allow them to be able to produce the upgrades of their choosing. You don't want to one day face armed police robots able to blow up half of the city with their heavy weapons. So, there will always be jobs available for people in robotics and since the demands for robots will be high, so will be the demand for their designers and programmers.
We will be provided the basics so that nobody will starve or be homeless, but if you choose to have more, you will have to work.

[yoseph]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Why would "earning a living" be not essential to living a decent life because of AI?

I am wondering what’s going to happen when due to so many tech advancement humans are no longer needed to work at all since robots are doing the jobs we are currently doing and doing it even way better. How will people survive without jobs since that’s what give us our livelihood.

[Coyster]

There happens to be a big difference between education and work, education is a process of acquiring knowledge,and this knowledge can be put into practice in diverse aspects of life,one can graduate as a lawyer and up working as a clerk,but by education he's a lawyer,but based on workforce he's a clerk..And come to think about it even at this very time when the world is not totally digital work is still optional,the 👮 cops don't knock on your door in the morning to make sure you're off to work

Talking about technological advancements,it will all be a farce without education,Robots itself are built by highly technical engineers and more and more students are groomed up daily to follow the same line,i think technological advancement would improve the standard of education as the task/requirements would become even more difficult/stiffer..

I also do not think there will ever be a time when half of the population wouldn't have to work,Robots do not go about giving money to people,do they

[squatz1]

I mean it'd probably be the same as it is now, as education doesn't teach you jack shit about the working world -- so yeah. I'm not seeing any drastic changes (minus the removal of business fields, such as BUSINESS in general)

But I can't see this being a real thing, as theres no way a functioning society has NO ONE WORKING in the least.

Though yet again, I do guess that work is really optional -- but you just won't get to live as nicely as the ones who to live and thrive.

[coins4commies]

education will be more customized and automated itself.  people will be able to learn about whatever they want to be great at. literally freedom.  It will mostly be art and technology.  Of course I read the premise of the thread to be after the world has gone fully communist.  Its far into the future unfortunately.

[fortresscoin]

As history shows us in during FDR’s WPA programs of during the American Great Depression, governments are tasked with ensuring their people have jobs.  If most jobs are allowed to become automated in countries like China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and even Turkey, then who will feed, clothe and house the masses?  Stephen Hawking said in 2016 that automation along with other factors put many populations at "the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity."  However, there are many bright spots.  According to an August 23 2018 Forbes article by Sameer Maskey,  AI can be leveraged by businesses and NGOs and governments in the areas of emergency response (earthquakes & typhoons), agriculture, medicine delivery, education, and, of course, jobs. 

[squatz1]

As history shows us in during FDR’s WPA programs of during the American Great Depression, governments are tasked with ensuring their people have jobs.  If most jobs are allowed to become automated in countries like China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and even Turkey, then who will feed, clothe and house the masses?  Stephen Hawking said in 2016 that automation along with other factors put many populations at "the most dangerous moment in the development of humanity."  However, there are many bright spots.  According to an August 23 2018 Forbes article by Sameer Maskey,  AI can be leveraged by businesses and NGOs and governments in the areas of emergency response (earthquakes & typhoons), agriculture, medicine delivery, education, and, of course, jobs. 

Then again, it is really good policy to let the government employ everyone? It seems like an expensive alternative to the free market -- which just messes with the market price on the wages of people (as government typically provides OK PAY, good benefits, stable job, etc)

I don't think Automation is as crazy of a sight as some people think it is. I do think some people will lose jobs, though the jobs will shift to other fields.

[cryptothief]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Not sure I agree with this statement, the key word being 'decent'. The growing disparity of wealth throughout the world is an indication of things to come, and the gap will only grow wider as the expected advancements eat up the the jobs that are maintaining those at the 'bottom of the food chain'. Take away the opportunity for them to earn money, and you pass responsibility to feed their families to those higher up the chain, ultimately putting them at their mercy. Education, as mentioned, is of course important, but will do very little to genuinely benefit the majority - at least on a financial level. There is some truth that everyone has a creative streak in them, and maybe with significantly more time to spend on being creative, it could benefit society (overall) in that way. Just concerned that there would be far too many left relying on other's generosity, which - historically - doesn't normally end well. 

[UconBit]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Why would "earning a living" be not essential to living a decent life because of AI?

I am wondering what’s going to happen when due to so many tech advancement humans are no longer needed to work at all since robots are doing the jobs we are currently doing and doing it even way better. How will people survive without jobs since that’s what give us our livelihood.

People have been inventing stuff throughout the century that other people think would replace them. The great thing about humans is that we adapt. We find new things to do better than the machine. We have imagination. They do not. We have creativity. They do not. They are just machines. Even though some people are trying to make robots create "art". It's not really art when there is no imagination or passion behind it.

[FunGate]

Posters above me are right about education. It will still be preparing us for work even in a world where robots are dominating in every aspect of our lives.
Think about it for a moment. Somebody has to design and maintain these machines. They will never be able to upgrade themselves and we shouldn't allow them to be able to produce the upgrades of their choosing. You don't want to one day face armed police robots able to blow up half of the city with their heavy weapons. So, there will always be jobs available for people in robotics and since the demands for robots will be high, so will be the demand for their designers and programmers.
We will be provided the basics so that nobody will starve or be homeless, but if you choose to have more, you will have to work.

I agree. I think the only decent jobs are going to be available for engineers and software developers, which means the education systems will likely focus on forming people for such technical positions, along with cultivating creativity as much as possible to program the technology for the greater good, as creativity is one trait that machines don't do so well. (Ethics and philosophy will also be important).

Survival of the fittest will become self-actualization of the fittest, and the rest can survive if they don't harm anyone, which could be possible thanks to the ever-growing democratization and accessibility of experiences.

[FilesFM_Announcements]

I think education will always be about readiness and preparing for the work which is out there, but if hypothetically AI and robots were able to totally take over manual labour jobs, Middle management jobs, and specialisms.. I would imagine education would be more about personal growth and development, philosophical education about what really is consciousness and no doubt it would help harness the very best problem solvers within us, as I think we will have more time to see flaws and ways to improve our technological society..


In short education would be about priming us for the workplace it would be more about where we fit within a modern technological society and how to solve some of life's daily challenges.


 

[Luke_Turner]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Why would "earning a living" be not essential to living a decent life because of AI?

I am wondering what’s going to happen when due to so many tech advancement humans are no longer needed to work at all since robots are doing the jobs we are currently doing and doing it even way better. How will people survive without jobs since that’s what give us our livelihood.

This is the part where others say they believe when AIs took our jobs from us, it will give us time to do the other things we would like to do, but can't because we are bound to our jobs. You can travel if you want (but only if you've saved enough to pay for your travel expenses AND still survive after that even without a job) or try other things: a hobby, a new job, etc. But I say unless you're rich or have unlimited source of income that will enable you to live even without earning a paycheck every month, then you're probably doomed once AI took over your job.

[FunGate]

I think education will always be about readiness and preparing for the work which is out there, but if hypothetically AI and robots were able to totally take over manual labour jobs, Middle management jobs, and specialisms.. I would imagine education would be more about personal growth and development, philosophical education about what really is consciousness and no doubt it would help harness the very best problem solvers within us, as I think we will have more time to see flaws and ways to improve our technological society..


In short education would be about priming us for the workplace it would be more about where we fit within a modern technological society and how to solve some of life's daily challenges.


 

I agree, "transhumanist" technology and the movement towards singularity will open up many philosophical arguments of what it means to be human. Understanding how to achieve well-being in a society completely based on technology that could even make you nearly "immortal" will be the 21-22nd centuries' challenges (if we make it this far.)

[Becksinsky]

Advancements in AI and the gradual digitization of society could one day lead to a world where earning a living is inessential to living a decent life.

Most education systems are designed to prepare people for the work force, because it's hard to survive in this world without being great at following directions, writing, and understanding some other complexities.

I think creativity and art will become the greatest mental assets in a society of easy abundance. If the majority of the population won't have to work, they'll have to be capable of keeping themselves fulfilled and occupied in other ways.

How do you think the approach to education will adapt to AI and other revolutionary technologies?

I think this is right. Human creativity is the most expensive work.
But the school does not just give a person a set of knowledge. School teaches a person to learn. It is very important. When a person can learn, he can master any profession.

[custard7]

I don't buy either of the two arguments: that our 'intrinsic creativity' will, on its own, sufficiently demarcate man vs. machine or that our creativity will be our obvious comparative advantage to machines.

If, for example, a person announced that they had actually created the painting that just sold for $432,500 -- what would you say? Is it all of a sudden art - the same image - because it was associated with a person?

Personhood is a status - it's a designation for individuals we believe are part of our moral communities, worthy of inclusion. Take any atrocity, or look to our treatment of animals, and you will see how fluid this status is. Social groups can easily slide into states that deny others their status as persons -- dehumanization.

I think we will increasingly come to recognize the personhood of certain machines as they take on increasing characteristics of people -- creating art, telling stories, managing their own money (a possibility raised through blockchain), and solving problems. And, some - the horror! - might even be better at art, stories, managing money, and solving problems.

Further, it's likely we are moving into a post-capital world. A world where we already know how to produce 10 x as much food as we need and where we know how to cure the deadliest and most pervasive diseases. Working as stewards of capital will most likely come to an end, partially as a result of automation, partially as a result of no longer needed our efforts placed there. So work will be replaced by something else -- perhaps we will be put to use solving the next major problems: how to make us happy, how to make us immortal, and how to bring us closer to divinity.

[criza]

I think that the education in the society where work was oprional will simply be like flexible enough to go through and adapt to the changing standards of society. As education of today is designed to prepare us to work, then education in the future will be designed in order for us to adapt in the technological advancements and artificial intelligence utilization. Working as an optional matter means that there are other matter of living that we are much used to that time to earn money and that I think will be the pattern or the basis of the education standard that will soon be constructed. And on that note, unlike any other beliefs, education will still prevail and useful as much as it is beneficial right now.

[Amadeo33]

I think that nothing will change. Labor is always needed. Before the world where all are served only by robots, we are still very far away. And nevertheless, even in this case, people will be needed to service the robots, that is, to repair and control their work.
As for creativity, I agree. In all time it was the most valuable type of human activity. I think, so will be in the future.