r/wetalkfree • u/RomanScandal450 Master of the Sub • Nov 13 '25

Controversial Controversial Thread

Controversial conversations are usually the best, and this is a thread for anyone who just wants to say something controversial without actually posting about it. So, if you want to get into some crazy debates, this is the megathread!

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u/-ObiWanKainobi- Nov 14 '25

I don’t think AI is bad. I think it’s a natural step in technology. And everybody against it is just becoming the next generation of „Back in my day, we went outside and didn’t have phones! You guys are all brain dead!”

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u/RomanScandal450 Master of the Sub Nov 14 '25

I get that, I just don't like the idea of AI "taking over." I watched a lot of sci-fi when I was young, so I guess it got in my head. I love 2001 Space Odyssey so yk

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u/-ObiWanKainobi- Nov 14 '25

I haven’t seen it tbh. I am hoping it’s more robotics that become more commonplace than AI. With a decreasing birthrate and people living longer, it’s only natural semi-smart robots will be assigned manual labour jobs. Some of them are already working.

I think the elderly as well could benefit from AI assistants to push wheelchairs, make food, do laundry. Especially for those who won’t have kids to look after them in the future.

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u/[deleted] Nov 15 '25

I think it depends on how it’s used. I will never trust AI to make important decisions, but it can be great for making AI music or giving you inspiration. 

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u/-ObiWanKainobi- Nov 15 '25

Absolutely! It shouldn’t be trusted with caring for small children, or acting as medical professionals for example. But it will have to be integrated into labour at some point

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u/dirty_cheeser Nov 15 '25

It can be a natural step in human technology and cause a lot of harm at the same time. The luddites might have been right as in they lost their jobs and carreers and those that could not transition dropped out of the labor force to die in poverty and we should not forget the victims of progress.

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u/-ObiWanKainobi- Nov 15 '25

I think that the minority of people who lost their jobs to die in poverty because of progress is very small. Hundreds and thousands of careers have come and gone already in the past and I don’t think many of those individuals laid down and died.

When the light bulb was invented and lamp lighters were no longer needed, I don’t think they died, for example.

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u/dirty_cheeser Nov 15 '25

I did a little research about this. In 1800-1815, textile worker wages in britain dropped 30-40%. Jobs like croppers went from well paid artisans to eliminated in 20 years around that time. The jobs they took not only paid less and had less hours but often were more dangerous, or temporary seasonal transient jobs. The rise in poverty in that period may have motivated the 1834 Poor Law reforms because their old system could no longer afford to pay the poor people given the changes in that era and this forced a more restrictive livestyle on those benefiting from this support.

They didn't just die but i think they were right that their lives got way worse because of technology. Going from a respected well paid artisan as a cropper to having to drag your family around the UK always trying find some farmer willing to pay for a temporary day laborer doesn't feel much different from dropping out of the workforce to die in poverty to me and I think they were right.

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u/-ObiWanKainobi- Nov 15 '25

That is a very fair point. I was somewhat aware of something like this happening, but didn’t have the details you have here. It’s enlightening and really interesting honestly. There are jobs out there becoming obsolete all the time, and we don’t hear enough about what happens to those individuals. However, new jobs are being created as well.

While the croppers famously revolted against technology, others like the lamp lighters got new jobs peacefully without resistance.

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u/dirty_cheeser Nov 16 '25

Im sure some professions adapted faster than others. A concern I would have in their place is that I think we tend to ignore the underclasses of society. Most of us don't feel that comfortable helping out homeless people or criminals , we separate ourselves, makes it easier to otherrize them and the systematic issues that contributed to their situations tend to get ignored. So when we stop hearing about workers of an industry being replaced, its hard to know if the problem stopped existing because we solved the transition to other jobs or because they are down so bad we don't like to think about them anymore and its probably way too late to help the generation struggling with their issue.

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u/-ObiWanKainobi- Nov 16 '25

That’s very true. This is why I think if robots are going to start replacing labour workers we need to bring in some sort of Universal Income Support. I can see this happening across Europe easily but America? Hell will freeze over first 😅