Forget swiping your card - thanks to a banner year for biometric payments, with JPMorgan and Mastercard joining the fray, paying with your face could soon be your new reality.

  • AnAmericanPotato@programming.dev
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    6 months ago

    The “problem” of having more people than we have meaningful work for. This is not a new problem, but it is increasingly exacerbated by automation. So we manufacture bullshit work just to keep busy, because we’ve decided people shouldn’t have food or shelter if they’re not doing work, bullshit or not.

    The world would be better off if whoever got paid to plan and implement this instead got paid to just stay in bed. The economy is fundamentally broken.

    • glimse@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      I wholly agree with your overall point but that’s not why this exists. The ruling class is not so benevolent to give people jobs just to make sure they’re fed - they don’t care. This technology exists because it’s good for the shareholders. Data - and control of said data - is valuable and their bosses want it. It’s all about profits and consolidated power - this job would not exist if not for its benefit to the ruling class.

      “Bullshit work” is stuff like paper pushing and those are the jobs that are disappearing with automation.

      • AnAmericanPotato@programming.dev
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        6 months ago

        You’re right, but I think there’s a lot of overlap here. Large businesses are not laser-focused and are not rational actors.

        Someone pitched this as a way to make money. Someone believed that was plausible and approved it. But the motivation for even pitching it was likely a step or two removed from that.

        Executives and middle managers are not above bullshitting to justify their salaries.