Which class should control Artificial Intelligence: the workers or the bosses?

Which class should control Artificial Intelligence: the workers or the bosses?
8/7/23 Statement of UFCLP

In 1811 workers in England known as the Luddites understood that machines were going to be the ruination of their jobs and so they took matters into their own hands and broke up the machinery. The workers were tried and convicted for creating a capital crime since the state understood that the capitalists would soon be the dominant class and that the workers had to be suppressed. The role of technology then and now is to make sure that workers do more work with fewer of them doing the work. The capitalists have been hellbent ever since to replace workers with machines to increase profits and thus AI is the end product of this quest for profits. AI can now replace workers in almost every capacity, and it can reproduce itself becoming more and more “human” and thus replace more and more workers. It is estimated that over the next few years, 350 million workers will lose their jobs leaving devastation in its wake. The international economy is headed for a meltdown. The writers and actors were forced to go out on strike over this very issue. AI is planning to replace both the actors and writers by having it write scripts that a team of writers use to write and it is using this same technology to scrape the images of actors and produce shows with the likeness of these same actors. Artificial intelligence can persuade us to buy things either of a political or a personal nature. AI is magical for the employers but is dangerous for the workers. So, who should control it or should unions call for its demise? Can AI be a boon to humankind if it is in the right hands? Its potential is enormous.

AI more than anything else raises the question of which class should rule. With Its proliferation, millions will inevitably be thrown out of work and education will be undermined since learning will be automated. Moreover, ChatGbt has taken the place of researching a topic and writing papers so that students will not necessarily learn how to learn. AI teachers will be in the classroom replacing real flesh and blood workers and while this can be an excellent adjunct to the teacher, it will be replacing them instead. The implications are vast and far reaching since there then will be no limits to how many students will be put in a classroom, bad for students and for the teachers. Does it have to be this way? Can technology advance the emancipation of humanity, or will humanity only be a slave to it? This discussion needs to be had, but the answer must clearly be that only under workers’ control can it be an advance. There is no reason why workers must continue to work 40 50, 60 or more hours a week leaving no room to play if technology can do much of the work for us. Workers have historically had no time for themselves because, under capitalism , capitalists must produce millions of things in order to rake in outstanding rates of profits, but with AI there would be no need to produce so many things in order to maximize one's profit. The market is by its nature anarchic because of this constant need to produce which leads to creating tremendous surpluses that cannot be absorbed causing depressions. The capitalists are bent on destruction, not only of the economy, but of the planet itself. The earth is being raped to obtain natural resources that go into making products that last only for a short time and then are discarded. It is obvious that global warming has become a permanent fixture, just for the sake of increasing profits. As workers continue to object, AI will become more and more an impediment to protest since AI will be able to surveil crowds in a more efficient way. The potential for human expansion is enormous, but on the other hand, given that AI rests in the hands of the capitalist, the potential for destruction is enormous as well. It’s only with a workers’ government that Artificial Intelligence can guarantee freedom for all workers. The major impediment to realizing a socialist society are the union bureaucrats who align themselves with the capitalists instead of defending its members.

There needs to be a united front of all workers and unions to discuss AI and the effect on all workers and the working class as a whole. The strikes by the Writers Guild West and SAG-AFTRA need to link up with Teamsters, longshore workers, healthcare and education workers to challenge the system that is destroying millions of workers jobs or profits.

These union “leaders” who tell us to rely on the Democrats to protect workers from AI are disorientating and deluding working people. The Democrats represent the tech billionaires and have allowed Elon Musk and other billionaires a free hand to discriminate, have illegal mass layoffs to avoid unions and wreak havoc on our world.

The continued support for the capitalist Democratic party by our union officials is an obstacle to fighting capitalist control of AI. The Democrats are controlled lock stock and barrel by the tech billionaires. Biden’s deal with the tech barons to self regulate themselves is a joke taken at face value by Biden who is a tool for them.

We need a new leadership in our unions based on working class control and power and want to unite the working class to fight against the massive attacks.

Our Survival Is At Stake!

Democrats and Republicans OUT!
Build a Mass Democratic Labor Party NOW!
United Front Committee For A Labor Party
https://ufclp.org
info [at] ufclp.org

Mural by Andrew Kong Knight