Power and Prediction

11 Do Machines Have Power?

The headlines read “How Amazon automatically tracks and fires warehouse workers for ‘productivity,’ ” “Amazon used an AI to automatically fire low-productivity workers,” “Would you let a robot fire your employees?” “Fired by Bot at Amazon: ‘It’s You Against the Machine,’ ” and “For lower-paid workers, the robot overlords have arrived.” That last one was from the Wall Street Journal in May 2019. There, Greg Ip summarized the key takeaway: It’s time to stop worrying that robots will take our jobs—and start worrying that they will decide who gets jobs.

Suffice it to say, that grabbed the attention of many. It tapped into a primal fear: Would the machines hold power over people?

These articles would have you believe ...