Class Inequality

Class inequality and the wage gap are issues that have plagued modern society for decades, well before AI, but artificial intelligence is still expected to make it worse. Rotman (2013) speaks of McAfee who says new technologies are “encroaching into human skills in a way that is unlike anything we have seen before,” and many middle-class jobs are on the chopping block. Even relatively high-skill work in education, medicine, and law is affected by the evolving technology. The middle class seems to be dwindling, while the lower-class and higher-class are growing farther apart

While technology may only be one reason, says McAfee, it has been an underappreciated one, and it is likely to continue widening the class and wage gap (Rotman, 2013, para. 32). Inequality is on the rise, disregarding the impact of AI. Elliot (2007) talks with economist Dhaval Joshi, who believes that “…without a sustained attempt at the redistribution of income, wealth and opportunity, will increase. And so will social tension and political discontent” (para. 18). Thus, a hollowing of the middle class occurs, or will be accentuated by AI.

Moravec's Paradox
AI and by extension robots, are likely to cause a further hollowing out of middle-class jobs as discussed earlier. This is believed to be true because of Moravec’s Paradox which, in short, states that robots find difficult tasks easy to do, and easy tasks difficult to do. The researcher, Hans Moravec said: “It is comparatively easy to make computers exhibit adult-level performance on intelligence tests or playing checkers, and difficult or impossible to give them the skills of a one-year-old when it comes to perception and mobility” (Elliot, 2017, para. 9).

This compliments the sentiment that some entry level jobs that require dexterity and mobility are a bit harder for AI to completely replace. Dhaval Joshi, an economist at BCA research believes that the Moravec’s paradox will have the biggest impact on the job market when discussing artificial intelligence (AI). Joshi believes AI will cause the economy to be split into 3 categories, the high-income innovator, a middle-income manufacturer, and a low-income animal tender. In Joshi’s scenario he believes AI can perform recently evolved skills such as logic and algebra, which he claims are usually middle-income jobs. AI being able to perform arithmetic will eliminate some of the middle-class jobs while the entry level usually relies on perception and movement, which AI cannot easily replace, cementing his theory that the impact of AI will further hollow out the middle class (Elliot, 2017, para. 10-14).