Narrow focus on Polanski’s vision ignores game-changing technologies

Neoliberal talking heads have been wrongly mocking Zack Polanski’s economic policies. But capitalism was always going to create something that made itself irrelevant. And it has: automation, robotics and AI.

Technology has now transcended the economic debate and a new system based on an equitable share of the yields of robots should be delivered.

The thing is, technology is largely absent from discourse on the left — in both the Green Party and Your Party. Instead, it should be a central feature of a campaign that capitalism has largely offered its replacement through automation.

Automated farming in pursuit of food self-sufficiency

Bringing about publicly owned vertical and automated farming systems could deliver the infrastructure capable of producing enough food for everyone in the UK with zero labour cost. This could also reduce the amount of food the UK imports (currently at 46%).

The appeal of vertical farming is that it creates the conditions to grow almost anything, anywhere. A University of Surrey study found that vertical farms offer 20 times the yield of traditional farms. It also found that changing the materials used could drop vertical farming emissions by 95%.

Elsewhere, people are already delivering automated farming. In China, there are unmanned farms with smart management systems, along with aerial and ground robots.

In the UK, the government does offer grants for AI development. And the previous Conservative government offered £12.5m to be shared among companies delivering automated farming innovation.

When the prize is labourless production, these funding models are a drop in the ocean. Instead, an administration should bring robotics and AI companies into public ownership through issuing government bonds at their market rate. It should then dramatically increase salaries and bonuses to become the leading country in robotics and AI development, and for public good.

Renewables driving progress and change

Turning the UK into a manufacturing hub again would also decrease its large trade deficit in goods, freeing up its currency for more investment.

The thing about automated systems and innovations like vertical farms is that they are energy intensive.

Although, in a clear indication of capitalism making itself irrelevant, Tribe Impact Capital calculated that just 1.2% of Sahara Desert would need to be covered in solar panels to power the entire globe’s energy requirements.

Scale this up and it could power progress in automation. Furthermore in 2023, Oxford University found that wind and solar could power Britain’s total energy needs.

What else could be on offer? A People’s Uber, powered by automated electric vehicles? The possibilities go on.

Capitalism is totally outdated, yet the left is living in the past as well.

Featured image via Unsplash/James Baltz