Op-Ed on AI Raises Fears of a 'Permanent Underclass'

It's a new warning about the impact of artificial intelligence on jobs with a blunt opening: "Most people I know in the A.I. industry think the median person is screwed, and they have no idea what to do about it," writes Jasmine Sun in a New York Times essay. Sun, who lives in San Francisco and writes about Silicon Valley, notes that the term "underclass" gained traction in the 1960s to describe workers displaced by automation. Today, she writes, a new fear is emerging that a "permanent underclass" is in the offing. Sun makes clear that most economists and experts in artificial intelligence don't expect this worst-case scenario to unfold, but the "persistence" of the idea raises red flags for her:

• "First, because it signals how much collateral damage the A.I. companies will tolerate en route to (artificial general intelligence). And second, because the production of a social underclass is a policy choice. Instead of waiting for impact, we need to think seriously—now—about how we plan to support workers through A.I. disruption."
• A failure to do so raises the risk of "populist rage" and political unrest, writes Sun, who quotes Palantir exec Alex Karp at a recent forum: "If I were sitting here in private with my peers, I'd be telling them the country could blow up politically, and none of us are going to make any money when the country blows up." Read the full essay.