David Shapiro, an AI thought leader and author, dives into transformative ideas surrounding post-labor economics. He discusses the historical shifts brought on by automation and AI, exploring how these changes impact employment dynamics and society at large. Shapiro presents the 'pyramid of prosperity' as a framework for sustainable economic models, advocating for universal basic income and collective ownership. He also emphasizes the need for innovative governance solutions, such as liquid democracy and radical transparency, to adapt to a rapidly evolving future.
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insights INSIGHT
From Automation Engineer To AI Public Thinker
David Shapiro pivoted from cloud automation to AI after GPT-2 convinced him it was the future.
He shifted focus from engineering to writing about AI's societal impacts and post-labor economics.
insights INSIGHT
Tech Epochs Reshape Politics And Society
Shapiro traces tech-driven social revolutions from the printing press to industrial revolutions.
Each general-purpose technology reshaped institutions, information flow, and political power structures.
insights INSIGHT
Economic Imperative To Automate Labor
The logic of labor substitution drives firms to replace labor with capital to cut costs and compete.
Capital concentration and intensification make low-employee, high-valuation firms increasingly common.
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Jim talks with David Shapiro about his six-part series on "post-labor economics." They discuss historical economic transitions, the logic of labor substitution, automation & AI's impacts on employment, the four basic human economic offerings (strength, dexterity, cognition & empathy), labor as a societal pillar, the pyramid of prosperity (universal basic services, collectively owned public & private assets, conventional private assets, & residual wages), the pyramid of power (immutable civic bedrock, freedom to transact, radical transparency, direct programmable democracy, & forkable constitutional meta-governance), blockchain & cryptocurrency, radical financial transparency, liquid democracy, governance innovation, and much more.
Episode Transcript
"Post-Labor Economics pt. 1: The Rise of Automation," by David Shapiro on Substack
"You should let the human race die out," by David Shapiro on Substack
Why Nations Fail, by Daron Acemoğlu and James Robinson
The Bitcoin Standard, by Saifedean Ammous
"An Introduction to Liquid Democracy," by Jim Rutt
David Shapiro is an American AI thought leader, author, YouTuber, and former IT infrastructure and automation engineer based in Raleigh, North Carolina. With over 16 years of experience in technology, including four years focused on artificial intelligence, Shapiro has emerged as a prominent voice in AI philosophy, cognitive architectures, and post-labor economics. His work centers on the societal and economic implications of AI, advocating for a future of post-scarcity and hyper-abundance where automation meets basic human needs at low cost.
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