People are scared AI will make them disabled

The definition of disability I prefer is the phenomenon where when you don’t have things society wants or needs, society just doesn’t accommodate your existence. I’m autistic and this has been a reality for many disabled people. Historically ableism was lethal and being disabled was a death sentence. Children would be drowned or tossed in bushes. Nowadays we let market dynamics do it for us and we decide that’s different because no single person is responsible for it.

I want to just suggest that perhaps part of the anxiety around the “AI-is-taking-our-jobs” narrative is the idea that a large number of able people might also experience the reality of being devalued by society.

I am not celebrating schadenfreude. Perhaps this will be the wake up call that we need to organize around supporting the disabled. After all, we will all become disabled at some point in our life, whether it be through illness or through age. We will all need support.

I can’t put it more plainly. If AI does take our jobs, we will certainly need to socially account for it or a lot of people will die.