Although (and I was having this same discussion yesterday) I'll just put out there that those who are saying we're in a post-capitalist phase (and I think you're among them, yes?) aren't internalizing that lesson.
If we're truly in that sort of era, not being profitable is no longer relevant. It is completely about control—social and political. Someday, we'll all be selling our body parts, or our offspring—just so they can work themselves to an early death manufacturing the tools of civilization for our masters (themselves being cloistered in their glittering Montana bunkers, or whatever)...and we do all this happily, as long as our AI companions tell us to.
That's where 'profitability' might reenter the picture. Disaster Capitalism writ large. Until then we are conditioned to accept less and less of...everything important.
That is a possibility. But I still think that eventually, given the size of the losses, these systems have to pay out or they cannot be sustained in the medium term.
Agree, of course.
Although (and I was having this same discussion yesterday) I'll just put out there that those who are saying we're in a post-capitalist phase (and I think you're among them, yes?) aren't internalizing that lesson.
If we're truly in that sort of era, not being profitable is no longer relevant. It is completely about control—social and political. Someday, we'll all be selling our body parts, or our offspring—just so they can work themselves to an early death manufacturing the tools of civilization for our masters (themselves being cloistered in their glittering Montana bunkers, or whatever)...and we do all this happily, as long as our AI companions tell us to.
That's where 'profitability' might reenter the picture. Disaster Capitalism writ large. Until then we are conditioned to accept less and less of...everything important.
That is a possibility. But I still think that eventually, given the size of the losses, these systems have to pay out or they cannot be sustained in the medium term.