Transition to the Automation Economy
An often overlooked feature of the Star Trek universe, starting particularly with Star Trek: The Next Generation, is the socialist economy. The words “socialism” and “communism” are never used, and the stories are rarely about economic systems, so most members of the audience have failed to catch on, even with the contrast of the hyper-capitalist Ferengi as antagonists. It was explained best in Star Trek: First Contact; they don’t use money, and people do interesting and creative work because they want to, not because they have to. Not stated in this explanation is the role that technology and automation plays in making such an economy possible.
I have often thought of this as an “automation economy”. The assumption is that at some point in the future, automation technology will become so advanced and so ubiquitous that it will become unnecessary for most of the population to work. Computers, robotics, and AI are the beginning of this. But how do we get there from here? Specifically, how to we transition from capitalism to the socialism that could be enabled by automation. Violent revolution, of course, is unacceptable. How to transition gradually?
Today, automation plays by the rules of capitalism. Private owners invest in computers, robotics, and AI, and they therefore own the output of those devices. This works directly against transition. Instead, it works to enrich owners, and it shuts out those who have been displaced. We tolerate this today because the displacement is still relatively small, and new jobs are created developing and managing the automation. However, there will eventually come a tipping point, and overall job loss. Ultimately, this will be bad for everyone, not just the working class.
I had thought about some kind of voluntary participation in a new economy by the owners of automation systems. Those owners would voluntarily channel some of their profit into a program that funds some kind of guaranteed basic income (GBI). But why would they do this? Altruism? Would a class of people with the goal of kick-starting socialism drive advances in automation? Of course not, and this is where the idea breaks down. Then again, this sort of thing happens already, in the form of open source.
The idea that occurred to me today is so simple, I’m embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of it before: an automation tax. This would be a tax levied by the government on various forms of automation and their output. The tax would fund GBI. As automation becomes responsible for a larger portion of goods and services produced, GBI would increase. It wouldn’t rely on altruism; it would be mandated by voter majority.
Of course, such an initiative would have to come from a government committed to ushering in a new era of socialism. And it would be resisted by those with the power to influence media and public opinion. It might indeed result in violence with the intent to prevent such an economic transition.
There is also the problem of disparity between different jurisdictions.