Short Film Envisions Future Where Jobs Are Nonexistent

What will a jobless future look like? How will we define “labor” and “income” when the two become disconnected as a result of exponentially growing automation? These are the questions we’re asking ourselves today. It is a future of which is nearing in sight as artificial intelligence and robotics continue advancing at an accelerating rate.

In a joint collaboration between the Moth Collective and The Guardian, a new short film titled The Last Job on Earth attempts to envision this future.

The Last Job on Earth Synopsis

While we can’t predict the future, we can imagine a world without work – one where those who own the tech get rich from it and everyone else ekes out a living, propped up by an increasingly fragile state. Meet Alice, holder of the last recognisable job on Earth, trying to make sense of her role in an automated world.

Writer & Director: Alistair Campbell
Lead Animator: Carlos De Faria
Editors: Tess Riley, Laura Paddison
Artwork: Stephen Vuillemin, Moth Collective, Sabine Volkert & Frankie Swan

Photo Credit: Moth Collective and The Guardian

In this animated short film, the machines have taken over the workforce. There is no job in sight and the class antagonisms between the rich and poor are higher than they’ve ever been. Thanks to the advancements in both A.I. and robotics, the rich are able to live healthy and luxurious lifestyles, but for the poor, not so much.

The story follows Alice, who appears to be the very last person to even attain a job. How this future affects her mindset can be seen throughout the short film, stuck in a dichotomy of both awe and shame. Though, to be clear, this is not a future of which we at Serious Wonder envision ourselves.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

If you think this is nothing more than another sci-fi vision that will never materialize, don’t. According to Moshe Vardi, Professor of Computer Science at Rice University, “Machines could take 50% of jobs in the next 30 years.” Just a couple of years ago I spoke with Serious Wonder‘s CEO Gray Scott, discussing the future of jobs, whereby he noted:

We do not share the Moth Collective or The Guardian‘s vision of the future however. As Techno-Optimists, we envision a future where the advancements of A.I. and robotics are used to help liberate humanity from the menial and monotonous workforce, and thus liberated from wage slavery. With the help of a Universal Basic Income policy, we’d all be able to live our lives comfortably and create a life of which is strictly our own. It is a post-capitalist future, where the profit motive is nonexistent and human rights take precedence. In a jobless future, the only limitation will be our imagination.