Richard D. Wolff

Perhaps I've simply missed it, but I haven't seen you address the subject of robots and artificial intelligence, and what these may portend for the future of human labor. According to a couple recent articles by the activist Jim Hightower (published in his newsletter, "The Hightower Lowdown"), robots and AI have progressed to the point where "smart" robots are not only usurping blue-collar jobs, but more and more white-collar ones as well. This will have huge repercussions on the future of workers' lives, and would even destroy the prospect of worker co-ops once a certain "tipping point" is reached. While it's also true that such developments might lead to a full-time leisure society, that would only happen if the capitalists in power want that kind of a world. From what I have seen of them, they would rather keep people enslaved than to liberate them by way of advanced technology. In any case, I would like to know how you respond to this issue, whether positively or negatively. I believe it's crucial to address this subject at some point in the near future, though that is of course your own decision. Thank you.