perfect.
just when i thought i had all of the things i need to worry about covered: kids, cancer, the variable mortgage, the water stain on my ceiling that keeps getting bigger, neck wrinkles, climate change, matching my pay with my dreams … now there’s artificial intelligence (ai).
“that there technology is going to put everyone out of business,” guffawed the grumpy man who sits on his porch every morning (6:30 a.m.!!) sipping a tall can of beer. “we’re not gonna need writers, we’re not gonna need doctors … even that there starbucks with the crappy coffee … (he shook his beer in the direction of the coffee store that almost always had a line poking out the door) some robot will be doing that, too.”
he was sporting a shiny black leg brace, the reward, he explained, for not wearing the right shoes for a long hike along toronto’s don river.
he described the month-long wait for an appointment with his doctor to get his swollen leg looked at, and then, when the pain became too much, the steamy three hours spent in a crowded waiting room of a local walk-in clinic.
“not sure what you’re going to about your job, lady,” he said as he tipped his head back, shaking the can to get the last drop of beer into his mouth. “but i bet that robot coffee is going to taste amazing, and we won’t have to wait for those docs anymore.”
6 minute read
