Welcome Hamburger Enthusiasts!

Our guest today is writer, reporter, and author Brian Merchant. He writes the Blood In the Machine newsletter about AI, Silicon Valley, labor and power. He joined us for a discussion based on the very recent case study McDonald’s: Moving Toward a Fully Automated Future? and to teach us some lessons from the luddites.

The case study, and much of our conversation, is really asking if we as a society have a problem with a certain level of automation.

And the fully automated burger is still a capitalist fantasy. It’s more cost effective to hire low wage workers than install and maintain expensive robotics. The case study’s example of an “automated” McDonald’s was actually not automated at all.

As our discussion moved into science fiction Chris asked the philosophical question, “If we could make a fully automated machine that sold burgers, should we?” To which Brian replied that it’s not up to us and our ethics. As soon as it’s profitable for a company to do it, they will. The problem for automation is that the United States has kept labor costs very low. The minimum wage in that Texas location is $7.25 an hour.

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