Automation and Artificial Intelligence :
Subtitle: in the possible transition to a postcapitalist society
Series: mέta Working Paper 17EN2022
Publisher: CENTRE for POST CAPITALIST CIVILISATION
Published: 2023
Place of publication: [Athens GR]
Language: eng
Format: ebook open-access pdf
Number of pages: 17
Copyright date: CC BY-NC-ND
First sentence: According to the Marxist theory of historical materialism, societies thus far have been characterised by class conflict.
Description: Abstract
Throughout history, technology and its evolution have significantly impacted the
societal modes of production and organisation. The highest rise in technological
evolution has been observed under the capitalist system. Technology has not, as of
yet, proved to be capitalism’s demise. However, some believe that advances in Arti-
ficial Intelligence and automation render them radically different technologies to
those of the past and will mean capitalism’s demise and the dawn of a new, post-
capitalist era. This paper will assess this claim by looking at historical evidence and
contemporary theoretical and empirical work to argue that, while it is possible that
such technologies are radically different to those of the past and might bring about
the fall of the capitalist system, such claims cannot yet be substantiated due to the
early stage of the aforementioned technologies’ development.