There is always cost. There is always scarcity. Always. Never, ever use the word 'free' when it comes to anything in economics.

Also, if he made this machine, he would be in tremendous debt. that would be an R&D budget out the ass. So the first person to make that machine would need to either fund it entirely, or find a way to sell it

production does not equate to happyness. capitalism is a system that works to ensure the greatest production, that production is often translated into military might, that military might translates into a country that has the best foreign influince. i just discribed the united states or the british empire that preceeded it which though they did not fully embrace capitalism, had a head start. however simply being the most powerful nation in the world doesent mean you have the best system for your people, what it means is you have the best defense against outside influinces if you choose to do so...for your people (probably).

like an omnipresent personal assistant

like a Jarvis.

or.... give the products of this machine for free to all people who helped support it

There you go with 'free' again.

@Arch-Fiend By the way, it was part of the joke that the mural in that movie was spelled wrong. It's Happiness.

@Atkins i just said repaying debt to the people who helped support it

renting ai cappabilities would work

what movie?

so yes "free" as in return on investment

"The Pursuit of Happyness"

ah

havent seen it

Don't sweat it. Just throwing a barb. 😛

BTW, you were right in our last conversation. I forget what you said before I had to go but I remember you were right.

but this all comes down to: if people are not laboring to dig up shinny rocks, how does the rich person get shinny rocks?

unless he makes a machine to get him shinny rocks

in which case, why bother offering to trade bread for shinny rocks?

are we arguing that through automation we will reach zero scarcity economics and thus the only viable option is to have a welfare nation?

why not fuck off to a private island made of shinny rocks, then just give some shinny rocks to some murders to free up space in land that has more shinny rocks

yes, Arch

have you consitered the people trying to develop automation are also the people who lose the most influince in a zero scarcity economy?

grenade, those who have the natural ability to develop automation will be more valuable than those who do not.

so if you're a IQ 130+ software engineer you are going to be inherently more valuable than some IQ 100 joe average.

i dont think they are mindlessly heading toward their own dethronement consitering they are the elite. elites tend to fail to understand their inferiors not fail to understand their own machinations

"shiny rocks" have nothing to do with it.

There is no such thing as a zero scarcity economy.

There is always scarcity.

then resources are the only thing of value

Nonsense.

tell me, what is the point of wealth?

and where does it come from?

Ingenuity and creativity are also of value. Not everyone has these traits.

okay, so art.

Pareto principle. 90%+ of art is worthless shit.

Only some art is valuable.

zero scarcity society discribes one where the base nessessitys of all humans on earth are met to an extent you dont actually have to produce human labor in order to provide them

all art is worthless

unless someone really really wants it