Workshop: Work, Labor, and Automation
New York NY, Jan 23, 2017
Slides: http://slideshare.net/LaBlogga
Bitcoin and Automation Economy
Melanie Swan
Philosophy & Economic Theory
New School University, NY NY
m@melanieswan.com
Technological Unemployment
Transition to the Automation Economy and Robo-human Futures
Part of a Series on the Philosophy of Economic Theory
cryptophilosophy

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy 1
Melanie Swan
 Philosophy and Economic Theory, New School
University, New York NY
 Founder, Institute for Blockchain Studies
 Singularity University Instructor; Institute for Ethics and
Emerging Technology Affiliate Scholar; EDGE
Essayist; FQXi Advisor
Traditional Markets Background
Economic Theory
Leadership
New Economies research group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/NewEconomies

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
No
2
Yes Not sure
From Book chapter:
Swan, M. "Automation Economy: An Abundance Philosophy of
Economics" In Surviving the Machine Economy. Eds. Hughes,
LaGrandeur, Palgrave Macmillan. 2017.
Do you want a robot to take your job?

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Thesis
3
Technological Unemployment (jobs outsourced
to technology) is coming…
…the challenge is to steward an orderly and
beneficial transition to the Automation Economy
of more intense human-technology collaboration

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Technological Unemployment
 Definition: jobs outsourced to technology
 Estimate: Half (47%) of employment is at risk of automation in
the next two decades – Carl Frey, Oxford, 2015
 Global driverless-car market $42 billion by 2025 – BCG, 2015
 Transportation = 10% GDP – US DOT, 2002
 Why are there still so many jobs in a world that could be
automating more quickly? – David Autor, MIT, 2015
4
Source: Swan, M. "Is Technological Unemployment Real?” In Surviving the Machine Age: Intelligent Technology and the
Transformation of Human Work. James Hughes and Kevin LaGrandeur, Eds., Palgrave Macmillan, Forthcoming 2017.

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Technological
Unemployment is coming
Good news or bad news?
5
Source: http://www.robotandhwang.com/attorneys/

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Technological Unemployment
The real issue is human identity crisis in a world of technology
 Lower-level problem (non-trivial but solvable):
 Assumption that it is bad news (robots taking jobs), when the
very promise of technology is delivering an easier life
 Paternalistic worry about what individuals will do with
additional free time (“idle hands”)
 Income inequality, ownership of means of production, GBI
6
GBI: Guaranteed Basic Income allowance for all; blockchain-based; Source: Swan, M. (2015). Blockchain:
Blueprint for a New Economy, http://www.amazon.com/Bitcoin-Blueprint-New-World-Currency/dp/1491920491
 Harder challenge: human identity crisis
 Defining our identity as a function of labor
tasks and lower-level cognitive output
 We do not know who we are because we
have not had the luxury to consider who
we can be in realizing our full potential as
human beings

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Who are we? Human identity crisis
7
Maslow’s (original) hierarchy of needs
Survive
(reach baseline)
Thrive
(extend baseline)
Source: Swan, M. (2017). Cognitive Easing: Human Identity Crisis in a World of Technology,
http://ieet.org/index.php/IEET/more/Swan20170107.
 So…we don’t know who we are, and we are out of a job
 So far, we have had to focus more on the lower levels of
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs for surviving instead of
envisioning what thriving would look like
?

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Step 1: Reconceive Life
8
Work Leisure
Community
Sports, exercise
Creativity
Learning
Music Art
Spirituality
Groups, clubs
Source: Swan, M. (2016). Abundance Economics. http://www.slideshare.net/lablogga/abundance-economics
Productive engagement of human
faculties (via job 2.0 or other)
Health
TeachingRelaxation
Fun
Life 1.0
Meta: life design, feedback loop
Life 2.0
Job of the future:
life coach becomes
life designer

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Step 2: Call to +Psychology Entrepreneurs
 Design experiences for human needs
 Prediction: more activities in model of
“Toastmasters” and “World of Warcraft”
 Structured path for mastery
 Toastmasters: regular, interactive, learning
community of competition, support, fun
 Video games: immediate gratification,
positive reinforcement, progress,
competition, team-work, rewards
9
Source: PERMA, Seligman, M., U Penn, https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/perma-model/

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Step 3: Shift to Abundance Economics
10
Source: Swan, M. "Automation Economy: An Abundance Philosophy of Economics" In Emerging Technology and
Unemployment. Palgrave Macmillan. Forthcoming.
 Emphasize the production and consumption of
intangible social goods in addition to material goods
 Trust, recognition, freedom, belonging, acknowledgement
A
B
C

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Step 4: Reframe power & status to >sum-zero
 Decrease in violence, but power and status are still not
sum-zero (they are won at the expense of another)
 Effect: Sum-zero power and status result in income inequality
and worsening quality of life attributes (crime, health, trust)
 Power: reframe to “power with” not “power over”
 Efficient group coordination models (convergent facilitation)
 Status: reframe to need for recognition, mattering,
acknowledgement; internal locus of determinacy
11
Source: http://futurememes.blogspot.com/2015/07/antidote-to-holocracy-blockchain-smart.html

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Step 5: Vision for robo-human flourishing
12
Survive
(reach baseline)
Human-Robot Relation
Thrive
(extend baseline)
2.0: Interdependence
and mutual care-taking,
inspiration, and support
“Yes-and Bot”
1.0: Master-slave
power dynamic
 The most rewarding human-robot relationships will be those that
evolve from master-slave power dynamics to those with reciprocity,
mutual recognition, interdependence, learning, and care-taking
 Effects: robots help produce intangible social goods and solve
human Identity crisis by facilitating higher Maslow levels

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy 13
Robo-human Futures

Jan 23, 2017
Automation Economy
Thesis
14
Technological Unemployment (jobs outsourced
to technology) is coming…
…the challenge is to steward an orderly and
beneficial transition to the Automation Economy
of more intense human-technology collaboration

Workshop: Work, Labor, and Automation
New York NY, Jan 23, 2017
Slides: http://slideshare.net/LaBlogga
Bitcoin and Automation Economy
Melanie Swan
Philosophy & Economic Theory
New School University, NY NY
m@melanieswan.com
Technological Unemployment
Transition to the Automation Economy and Robo-human Futures
Part of a Series on the Philosophy of Economic Theory
cryptophilosophy
Thank You! Questions?
Acknowledgement for providing Review
Comments: Ming Fu, U Pennt