robertjbrown t1_jecuazk wrote on March 31, 2023 at 2:03 AM

Reply to comment by jphamlore in In a post-scarcity utopia, is there a real necessity of human labor of any kind? by kvothekevin

I enjoy talking to ChatGPT, even today, more than talking with, for instance, my parents' caretakers.

If there is a robot or other device that can help me use the bathroom, I'd prefer than to a human.

I can't think of much else that a robot/AI couldn't do in terms of caretaking. Prepare food, keep track of my medications, get me places, help me up and down, keep an eye on me and alert others if there is a problem, and so on.

If I want company that isn't a machine, what about other people who also want company as well, as opposed to a paid employee? And maybe a dog. Which the caretaker can feed and walk and such.

I can't see people in a post scarcity economy wanting to be caretakers, since everything they need isn't, well, scarce.

jphamlore t1_jed6jka wrote on March 31, 2023 at 3:46 AM

A robot can do many specialized tasks as good as if not better than a human.

I'm not convinced even with Singularity-type progress a robot can be developed that will do all of the tasks a caretaker does.

robertjbrown t1_jeg1orz wrote on March 31, 2023 at 7:17 PM

Can you list one thing a caretaker can do that an AI robot wouldn't be able to?

I have a 90 year old mom, and she spends thousands a month on caretakers (and it was a lot more when my dad was around as well). I can't really think of anything. Seriously, name one thing.

I see them cleaning, doing laundry, making meals, making sure medications are taken, helping them bathe or go to bathroom, and so on. And of course, when they need human interaction, helping them either get somewhere to see another person, or helping them get on video chat with someone.

And even if you come up with one thing, isn't it something the robot can identify the need for, and call in the human? For instance, call a doctor?