Richard D. Wolff

First, thank you for all your work. I follow all your videos and share with all my friends , family and anyone who will listen. I'd like to suggest a topic regarding technology companies focused n creating "digital employees". They market it as cute and innovative but they do not hide the fact saying in following video, "the next employer you recruit could be a digital employee." Could I get your opinion on this Prof. Wolff? 

My opinion is it is potentially good for humanity if tech companies and employers create a fund or are charged a tax which I call "Redundancy Tax" whenever a job is eliminated due to technology. Had the government already did this we would be far ahead of the game. But this tax / fund would provide income to the public. If companies want to eliminate jobs, that's fine. As long as they replace lost income with tax. I would even suggest companies be taxed  retroactively a monthly fee if their company previously automated human workers, they should be required to contribute  to a "redundancy fund".  I won't be holding my breath. I realize the chances of that happening are almost nothing. But it should happen if society is expected to support purchasing products and services with a shrinking work force. It's the only realistic solution if one acknowledges that future reality.

You and I know politicians don't have the balls to tax corporations. It's probably more effective an idea if it's instead called an "Automated employee wage fund".  The digital, automated or artificial intelligence employee would still earn an hourly wage, lower than a human wage but it's contributed to the "Automated employee fund".  Which could be given to the public so they would have money to buy products and services. 

Seeing how corporations currently fight against fair wages, it makes me think a future more like what's seen in hunger games rather than star trek, is what lies ahead.

However, if companies did have the foresight and conscience to help the unemployed and underpaid workers, it would give the underpaid income to buy products and services. Which of course in the end benefits corporations and the economy. I realize some say "pay for no work" would create incentives for people not to work. I don't agree. We as people may choose more meaningful jobs in arts or other more engaging careers. Just because one has enough money to survive, doesn't mean that's all we aspire for. And only so many companies will ever be cooperatives. I think cooperatives are excellent ideas. But we can't ignore those non-cooperative organizations and find new ways to make them more socially responsible. Especially since we know many workers will be displaced by artificial intelligence. This "Redundancy Fund" is one very important solution to what is certainly coming in the near future.

That's's my opinion. The video link to the company- Soul Machines, a New Zealand company has created digital human powered by artificial intelligence. https://youtu.be/1DzVaZSbuKw Thanks again for all you do.