Jackhammers are Just the Beginning
This is definately not about AI
The world isn’t ready for jackhammers. There was a buzz of excitement initially: For the first time, we could break rocks into smaller rocks at breakneck pace. “Think of how productive this will make us!” people said. “Think of what we’ll build!” That quickly gave way to despair though: One only has to think a moment before the problems are apparent.
What will happen to the hordes of burly pickax wielding men who currently break boulders into gravel? What will this mass of humanity with no skills, dreams, or aspirations do when they can’t be occupied by swinging a hammer until collapsing dead with exhaustion one day? For, we certainly won’t need as many of them. The productivity gains from jackhammering cannot possibly be used to allow more construction; no, we’ll only need exactly the same amount of stuff we have right now. Then what? One man will do the work of so many. My fellow jackhammer developers have bets on when we’ll see the first quarry with only one employee.
Workers are angry too. Unions have responded by calling for bans on jackhammers. They say the contraptions will never be able to break apart rocks with the artisanal skill of 300 exhausted guys with medieval implements. But consumers are too stupid to notice the difference between expert-crafted chain gang rocks and the crass, corporate, jackhammered alternative. So, they can’t be given the choice. These protests may delay jackhammers, but the effort is ultimately doomed.
There’s also an existential problem. For the first time in history, we’re no longer the best creatures on the planet at breaking apart rocks. Now our jackhammers are. What if they notice how inferior we are? What if they revolt? The squishy human body is no match for the combined weight of 300 of them; we’ll be crushed underneath.
It’s only going to get worse. We’ve seen so much advancement with excavation technology. It won’t end with pneumatic hammers. Imagine if we invent dynamite? What do you think that will do? That labor demand will magically rise since it will be feasible to carve tunnels into mountains for some kind of “transcontinental railroad”? Don’t be such a child. If you believe that, I suppose you also think we’ll learn how to split atoms and use it for something other than breaking rocks apart, maybe as a clean energy source… or some other such nonsense.
Nope, the only appropriate response is worry and existential dread. And a smug sense of superiority over all the silly rubes going about their lives as though we’re not all doomed. They’ll see! They’ll all see!!!