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What do you think the current crop of AI and its users would look like if there was literally zero profit incentive at all steps? (programming.dev)
submitted 4 days ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
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If it was literally impossible to make any profit off AI, how do you think things would look like now?

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[–] [S] 3 points 4 days ago (3 children)

Hammers, along with wheels, fabrics and ceramics, predate the notion of profit by thousands of years

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago

    What do you mean‽ Surely the only way new inventions can ever come about is with a profit incentive!

    If what you suggest is true, it would make capitalism unnecessary for technological progress! Sacrilege!

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  • [–] 2 points 4 days ago (1 child)

    Profit could be defined differently than just money. If I can use tools to make more food easier and faster, so my village can eat and better prepare for famine, is that profit?

    If so, AI efficiency gains would mean we would need to employ fewer people to keep outputs the same. This could mean more unemployment or more companies doing different things, likely overlapping causing competition but potentially more waste.

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