The human worker can be cheaper than the AI. But there is more…

 

The race between humans and AI is more complicated than just money. There are stories that hiring human workers is just cheaper than developing the AI. This is one of the things that should support humans. But then we face one thing. Working and workers are much more than just their salaries and work. When we think of robots that work in factories, those machines can be more expensive than humans. In a short period, the cost of those machines is far higher than that of humans. 

We think the first step. The short-period costs. But then we must realize that the robot. It is not in its position for a couple of weeks. It has the guarantee. The robot can operate for years in some shopping centers as a cleaner. Things like low-paid cleaners give a bad image. For places like shopping centers. So. Reputations and other kinds of things are also connected to workers. The worker is not only the thing. That needs a salary and working clothes. Things about what the worker looks like and how the worker behaves are also important. If a worker is alone all the time. Or the attitude to work is negative, which causes burnout. And workers must sometimes pass things like security checks. That causes costs. 

The other thing is this. If  software engineers run multiple AI agents. At the same time. And those AI agents replace five human workers. The costs of those AI agents can be higher. Than the salary of the engineer. But is it higher than those five workers? Another thing is that. The AI costs. They are about 10-200 euros  (dollars) per seat. So the operator can operate as many seats as they want by using remote control tools. This means that every AI agent costs 200 euros. But there is no human. Required for those remote seats. And I think that the worker costs more than just 200 euros/month. In the case that the operator operates five 200-euro remote computers with a 2000-euro salary. The costs of those AI chatbots are 1000 euros. So they can be higher than an uneducated person’s salary. But the problem is that. The uneducated person might not know what to do. 

The purpose of the workplace is not to pay for nothing. They must make money for their owners. This means that the worker, private corporations, and the state do not have the same assets. The state needs taxes, and workers need salaries. And the company owners want money. The last two actors don’t want to pay taxes. And the salary is not the only cost of the human workers. They need working clothes. They need breaks. And they need rest. The human worker can steal. Or, open the door to the wrong persons. 

But then we must remember that the robot or AI doesn’t need breaks. They don’t need salaries. They need only electricity. If we want the AI to work 24/7/365, that means the workplace needs three human workers for that kind of thing. The workplace needs a different person. For day, evening, and nightshifts. This means that. The effectiveness. Of. The AI is crushing. Then another thing is that. The human worker can be hidden for permanent work. Or they can be fixed-term employees. This means that the AI can replace humans. Who are hired for fixed-time projects. The problem with AI is that. It doesn’t seek jobs from competitors. It doesn’t strike. And it doesn’t need any kind of breaks. 

Human workers can change their workplace; they can tell things. That they should not tell. And when. Human workers are needed; they can have working contracts with other firms. In the same way, robots can seem expensive. But robots don’t need breaks. They have no family at home, which disturbs their focus. A robot can make products 24/7 without a salary. The robot will not get infections. This means that the workplace doesn’t need to hire deputies for those places. It’s hard to get a well-trained short-period worker who can replace, for example, a sick engineer for a couple of days.

And those things are always important when the AI acts as a competitor to humans. In old-fashioned production lines. Human workers are important. But the humanity or psychological aspect. Is the thing that makes human workers “not suitable” for human workers. The working life requires things that are not suitable for humans. The requirement for effective working means that the system benefits the AI. The problem is not in the AI. It’s in attitudes. If a worker falls from working life. It's hard to get the route back in there. 

https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/bosses-more-money-ai-agents-human-salary