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Wikimedia commons

Elevator operators at the Smith Tower in Seattle, which automated its elevators in 2017

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Back of the envelope elevator math

Elevator operator $15/hr * 24 * 365 = ~$120k/year per elevator (per LA times $11-22/hr in 1991 dollars)

Commercial elevator cost according to Jerami, elevator technician on Quora, is ~$90k for a few floors to $250k+ for 30-40 stops

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What happens when elevators are automated?

Elevator operators lose their jobs (income, benefits, sense of purpose, etc)

Operating cost of high rises decreases by ~$120k/elevator

Savings passed to building owners, renters, more high rise buildings can exist etc… point is, not elevator operators

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Consider

“The War showed conclusively that by the scientific organization of production it is possible to keep modern populations in fair comfort on a small part of the working capacity of the modern world.”

-Bertrand Russell, In Praise of Idleness

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Russell’s “sensible world”

Elevators are automated
Operators kept most of their income and are free to have leisure

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Another angle

“A good elevator operator … serves as part building manager, receptionist, security guard, tour guide and 10-second psychologist.”

“For eight hours a day, she chauffeurs passengers to meetings and appointments, joking with them, giving directions, answering questions, signing for packages and serving as a general lookout for the venerable courthouse …. She has intercepted the fall of a fainting pregnant woman, cushioned the collapse of a heart patient and maintained calm in the midst of a claustrophobic crowd momentarily stuck in her elevator.”

-1991 LA Times Article

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Questions to ask re: labor replacement

Do we need a person doing this job, or are we advocating for ‘elevator operators’?

How can we create a ‘sensible world’ for ‘elevator operators’?

Who benefits from efficiencies afforded by AI?
Which job roles do AI/automation fail to completely capture?

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