This AIn’t your grandpappy’s new technology

Many of us grew up seeing artificial intelligence and robots featured on fictional TV shows and movies.

There was Robot on “Lost in Space” waving his arms around and yelling, “Danger, Will Robinson!” and “Why are you wearing pajamas all the time, Will Robinson?”

Then came Rosie on “The Jetsons,” who was basically a tall Roomba who cleaned the house and talked like Wilma Flintstone (for good reason).

And my generation fell in love with C-3PO and R2-D2 from “Star Wars” in the ’70s before falling in love with Princess Leia in the gold bikini in the ’80s.

Those characters have nothing on the robots and AI coming our way at light speed right now. Perhaps “The Terminator” and “I, Robot” might be more accurate portrayals of what’s right around the corner for us.

More concerning to me than having my head ripped off by a rogue robot cop after I’m caught going 36 in a 35 is what is about to happen to America’s economy.

I know what you’re thinking: Here’s another sky-is-falling hysterical sci-fi lover who believes “Star Trek” is a documentary. You’d be wrong because I’m not really a sci-fi fan. I’m more of a comedy guy. And, I’m not against AI. I’m against unchecked AI.

But I do believe that AI is coming for millions of jobs in the extremely near future, one way or the other. It’s something we must be prepared for, but our government is just kicking the can down the road instead of addressing it — the same way it’s kicked the can down the road on the national debt and climate change. 

The difference is that while the worst impacts of the debt and climate change will affect younger and future generations, this AI thing is going to impact all of us within a few years … maybe even sooner.

Yes, I know they said that about electricity, television, computers, and the internet, but those technologies advanced at a fraction of the rate that AI improves and educates itself.

AI could be a great thing. I’m all for having a robot clean the house and mow my grass. AI could be leveraged to cure all kinds of diseases, much to the chagrin, no doubt, of those who profit off treating diseases instead of curing them. And it can do other important tasks such as taking a picture of me and my wife and turning us into pirates.

AI will come for the programmer and coder jobs first, followed by virtually everyone who sits behind a desk all day. When those jobs are gone and millions are left unemployed, there must be a system already in place to address the problem.

On one hand, it could cure the American disease of working our butts off until we’re dead. There’s more to life than work. It could allow people to pursue their real passions and spend more time with the few humans worth being around. On the other hand, it could leave millions destitute and void not just of purpose but also of the basic income needed to survive.

Even Elon Musk — who clearly is an android — believes that we will need some form of universal basic income in America. It should be a baseline income that will allow families to meet basic necessities. Should folks want more out of life, it’ll be up to them to become new-age entrepreneurs and creators in the AI era.

Yet, no one is willing to address it. Our leaders seem happy to let it run unchained and unfettered. We see how well that works with “isms.” Whether it’s capitalism, socialism, communism or other isms, an ism left unchecked runs amok and runs over everyone in its path except a few at the top.

We can’t let that happen. However, this is America, and our modus operandi is to kick the can down the road — until robots kick our cans to the curb anyway.