Will AI Replace You?
Key AI figure warns of job evisceration due to artificial intelligence. Can property taxes be eliminated in Idaho? And which way forward for Democrats.
Dario Amodei left OpenAI in 2021 to form Anthropic. He had been the VP of Research at OpenAI, a leader in the artificial intelligence arena and creators of ChatGPT. This past week, Amodei delivered a dire warning about the impact AI will have on employment in the next 1-5 years, predicting up to 20% and wiping out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs.
Government is slow to respond both from disbelief it will be an issue as well as not wanting to hinder US progress in the AI ‘arms race’. But the article cites several technology companies (Meta, Microsoft, Walmart) that have already begun slashing their workforce. As a nation, we may not have the luxury to be at the leading edge of this new technology and maintain relatively full employment.
Another Malthusian Nothing Burger?
Another camp points to the adaptability and innate differences of the human mind compared to computers. Computers can only do what they are programmed to do and while AI can appear to be almost magical in its capabilities, can it ever really replace human imagination and creativity?
In either case, Amodei suggests greater awareness is needed and developing strategies to mitigate a possible upheaval should be pursued. Otherwise, he worries that the new reality will create a few super-wealthy and a large segment of the population with little opportunity to partake.
Note: if you click the link to the Axios article, you will be prompted for an email to continue to read it, but you can just refresh your browser (might have to do it twice) to close the email prompt.
Can Property Taxes Be Eliminated?
Brian Almon delves into what it would take to eliminate property taxes. Over $2 billion is collected in the state via the property tax, so without an alternative way to raise those funds, services such as police, fire, highway maintenance, water and sewer would be cut or eliminated.
The main argument to remove the property tax is that you never really own your property so long as you are on the hook for the annual tax. And in many situations in Idaho, the property was purchased a long time ago, yet the explosion of property values means that annual tax has also exploded.
No state has eliminated the property tax. Florida’s Governor DeSantis appears serious to make an attempt to do so. If successful, you can expect the effort to eliminate the property tax in Idaho will gain significant momentum.
Will ‘Abundance’ Revive Democrat Prospects?
Bernie Sanders and AOC made headlines here in Idaho a few weeks back as over 20,000 people attended their ‘Fight Oligarchy’ tour. But within the Democratic Party, there is growing support for a newer movement known as the ‘Abundance Agenda’.
The linked article states that the Biden Administration embarked on massive spending projects to spur the economy, but even Biden himself was frustrated with the lack of progress. Many of those projects were held up by legal roadblocks and red tape. Ironically, those obstacles were erected by activist/progressive organizations aligned with the Democrats and the slowest, most expensive, most dysfunctional places that held up those projects were cities and states controlled by Democrats.
The frustration created the ‘Abundance Agenda’ - which began as an essay in the Atlantic in 2022. At its core is removing regulations and legal barriers that are preventing government effectiveness. For example, to increase housing supply, legal barriers and zoning laws need to be refined or repealed.
This abundance agenda is appealing to moderates but is causing a rift with the progressive faction in the party as they are aligned most closely with the many activist groups who built power by getting those laws and regulations passed. As the candidates for President in 2028 start to flush out, how the big names manage the rift will be critical to their success.