Category: Articles

Just because AI and Tech can make roles redundant doesn’t mean that we should make them so

Not a day goes by now where AI isn’t featured somewhere in the media. More often than not because of the expectation that adopting the new and future generations of artificial intelligence will make certain jobs that people currently do redundant, and that this technology takeover of usually basic, repetitive or uncreative tasks will be an accelerating trend.

Technical development and the removal of jobs that required people to complete them isn’t a new phenomenon in any way. The reality that we face is ever since the march or industrialisation began, the use of tools, machines and now software have been used by increasing numbers of businesses to reduce the number of people that they employ.

The process of industrial and now technical development is presented to us all within a narrative that maintains progress is one directional. That the reduction in the number of jobs available for growing numbers of people that need them is an inevitable and equally unavoidable part of a process that keeps improving our quality of life.

Yet the question that nobody ever seems to ask is ‘Whose life is being improved by the reduction in the number of jobs and the specialisation that goes with it?’

The people whose lives are enriched by any process that means they can employ fewer people to produce the amounts of products, teach the same figures or potentially even more, are those who stand to make more money quickly or even over the long term, no matter how much they might initially have to invest.

Just because we can do something doesn’t mean that we have to.

The trap we have all fallen into and the myth that we have been led to believe, is that the reduction of the number of people in jobs, as a direct result of technological advancement, is both necessary and good for mankind.

This isn’t true today. It never has been.

Making people redundant for no other purpose than saving and therefore making more money is inhuman. It is a lack of morality and care for other people of the very worst kind.

What is worse, it is the same technology taking away jobs, being pushed at us at the same time in the form of our mobile phones and all the tech and software that we use, that is also providing an open goal to deprogram our understanding and ability to function independently of the people who stand to be able to control the future flow of money from us.

This so-called technological advancement is slavery or little better than farming with the animals replaced by humans. It will be the harvest of money from a controlled or captive audience as the intention or root cause of what takes over our lives next.

Working in jobs that pay enough for each and every one of us to be self-sustaining or fully independent is what genuine freedom looks like.

People are happy and at peace with themselves when they know they will always be able to self-resource. And if the lowest paid jobs provided a salary that meant people could function independently of benefits, charity or debt, people you could never imagine doing so would be happy caring for others, stacking shelves or picking fruit.

As a society and community, we have an obligation to achieve this genuine form of freedom for everyone to enjoy as the basis of a good, healthy and equality-based life, where everyone is valued in exactly the same way.

What we don’t have, as individuals, is the right to make and to continue to make profits that take the possibility of other people doing this for themselves, further and further out of sight.

Tech should certainly be used to improve everything that it can. But it should never be used to put people out of work when the jobs they do provide a function that at the level of the individual and as part of the bigger picture will almost always deliver results and an experience that can never be delivered or experienced again, once it has been taken out of human hands.

Freedom of anonymity is not freedom of speech, yet it serves all the wrong purposes for it to be seen as the same thing

A few days ago, I watched Emily Atack’s BBC Documentary about online abuse. Through all of the inappropriate, to unpalatable, to offensive, to harmful, to absolutely wrong stories and anecdotes that Emily and those she spoke to revealed, it was the words of one of the male respondents in a discussion group that spoke loudest. When asked why men do it, he replied; because they can.

Whilst the behaviour of anyone who causes the kind of mental distress and fear that so many clearly are, needs to be punished appropriately, my real concern is that punishment or focusing upon it as the effect that it is, rather than the real gate opener or cause to this problem, means that the focus is being pushed further and further away from the real issue – which is being avoided, because our politicians don’t want to upset their friends, or attempt to deal with any issue they believe likely will show them in a negative light.

The inability of our entire political class to be the public representatives that they regularly insist they are and that we should all be able to expect them to be, is mind blowing.

Throw a virus they know nothing about into the mix and they can bring life to a standstill in moments. Ask them to take the necessary steps to legislate the removal of the biggest cause of online threats to individuals, and its more than their ‘job’ is worth.

With things as they are today, the failure of the issue of online anonymity and the role it plays in online abuse to gain any real traction, probably means that there are a significant number of online abusers already on a pathway to carrying out much more serious crimes against others.

They will also arguably do massive but avoidable damage to themselves – all because the will and respect for the responsibility to the public they represent isn’t there on the part of legislators (MPs) who could solve this all very quickly.

Indeed, all they would need do would be to make it law for everyone using any kind of social media platform to be registered with an independent body – even if they then continue to publish and communicate under some kind of assumed name.

Yes, that independent body would need to be independent of a system of government that is increasingly displaying dystopian overtures. But it would also need to be independent of the Tech companies, who through their collaboration with the establishment and silent banning of dissenting voices, have already shown that they cannot act with integrity in any matter where they would be self-policed.

Freedom of speech is about the content of words, not who spoke them. Yet in this current climate, the terms freedom of speech and freedom of anonymity have become alarmingly interchangeable when they don’t in any way relate to the same thing.

The failure of the establishment to recognise and regulate to reduce unrecorded anonymity to its absolute minimum literally means that the parallel universe which is the internet and world of apps is a place where behaviour that would already be punishable in the ‘real world’ is being exploited by people online, who believe they have impunity against punishment for doing the same things.

With a disintegrating public sector, court system and police service, surely making it clear that everyone is simple to identify, and potentially has to abide by a code of conduct, even if they are overtly anonymous, would mean that abuse would almost disappear overnight. Meanwhile, those who genuinely need anonymity, would still be able to speak freely – as in any free speaking society, it is only right and fair that they should?

Freedom of Anonymity 7Feb23 PDF_Vers1_13Jan26Download

It’s what a politician thinks of and does for the person they least identify with that really matters for Fairness, Balance and Justice in Government to exist

Diversity, alternative Political Philosophies and differences in Politics don’t promote or guarantee fairness and balance.

Anyone appointed to a position of influence and authority because of the physical, material or ideological difference they have with others is more likely to prioritise those who they most closely identify with – or for want of a better term, prioritise the interests of ‘those of their own kind’.

The benchmark of any system of government and the political system that facilitates or leads it being truly representative, Fair, Balanced and Just, is what the politician or political decision maker does on behalf of the person they know least about, have least in common with or are least likely to understand.

A system of government cannot and will not work in the best interests of all, if it doesn’t consider and treat fairly, justly and without bias of any kind, even the very people we might consider that we have every reason want excluded in some way or to despise.

If you have read this and immediately think of someone or some group of people that you feel to be undeserving of the same care and consideration that you for yourself would like, you can now use that feeling and emotion to understand how any system of governance and politics will quickly be undone.

This Blog is part of the e-book ‘The Way of Awakened Politics for Good Government’.

The Way of Awakened Politics for Good Government | Full Text
Its what a politician thinks of and does 8Dec22 PDF_Vers2_11Jul26Download

Surviving The Great Reset | Grow Your Own | Get Some Seeds & Seedlings

If you’ve ever heard someone you think of being a nerd, going on about saving or storing seeds, this is probably the moment when you will begin to make some sense of why.

Pretty much every vegetable, fruit or cereal that we eat can only be grown because someone has had the good sense to harvest, store and then distribute their seeds.

You will need seeds to grow whatever vegetables or fruits that you might choose.

Seeds are available online and even in some supermarkets, depending on the time of year. I picked up number of sachets a few days ago in Sainsburys (That’s well-known chain of supermarkets in the UK) and you are likely to find them near the flowers or any gardening things.

Again, its worth having a read up to check what you will be able to grow. Very little that you can grow in the garden will provide a crop year-round, if at all. So the next question will be what, where and how you can grow (or store) so you have something available year-round.

If you are lucky – and especially so at this time of year (spring/early summer), you might happen across seedlings that are vegetable or fruit plants already beginning to grow, on sale by the side of the road, at a garden centre or even in the plants section at your local supermarket. Grab a few if you can, as this is a great way to get a head start – and encourage yourself to get the growing bug – which can be very rewarding once you do!

Afterword – 23 September 2026

Thank you for visiting this piece, which was first published in May 2022 as part of my later book From Here to There Through Now.

With Grow Your Own and the wider question of Food Security becoming ever more important, my work since has led to the publication of a broad range of articles, books, and resources exploring these subjects.

If you have a moment, you will find links to some of those works that are currently available to read on this site below.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Further Reading

If you’ve reached this point and are thinking more seriously about growing your own, food security, or how we can all prepare better for the changes already underway, the following pieces will help you take the next steps. They build on the ideas first explored in this article and expand into what we can grow, how we can plan, and how communities can work together to make sure everyone has access to the food they need.

These resources are listed in the most helpful order – starting with the basics, moving through what’s possible locally, and ending with wider planning and the full portfolio of work available.

Grow Your Own or Home Growing

A practical and encouraging look at why home growing matters and how anyone can get started. If you’re new to all this or just need a nudge to begin, this is the best place to start.

🔗 https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/07/31/grow-your-own-or-home-growing/

Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and Around the UK

Once you’ve got the basics, the next question is what you can realistically grow or source locally. This guide explores the full range of foods that can be produced in and around the UK – essential reading for anyone planning ahead.

🔗 https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/07/18/foods-we-can-farm-catch-harvest-and-grow-locally-in-and-around-the-uk/

Foods We Can Trust: A Blueprint for Food Security and Community Resilience in the UK

This piece takes the conversation further, exploring how communities can build trustworthy, resilient food systems that work for everyone. It’s a blueprint for what secure, localised food networks can look like.

🔗 https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/15/foods-we-can-trust-a-blueprint-for-food-security-and-community-resilience-in-the-uk-online-text/

Local Planning for Food Shortages: A Guide to Local Support and Preparedness

A practical guide for individuals, groups and communities who want to be ready for food shortages. It covers local planning, support networks and the steps anyone can take to prepare meaningfully.

🔗 https://adamtugwell.blog/2026/04/28/local-planning-for-food-shortages-a-guide-to-local-support-and-preparedness-full-text/

Adam’s Food and Farming Portfolio: A Guide to Books, Blogs and Solutions

For readers who want to explore the wider body of work on food, farming, resilience and community solutions, this portfolio brings everything together in one place.

🔗 https://adamtugwell.blog/2025/12/18/adams-food-and-farming-portfolio-a-guide-to-books-blogs-and-solutions/

Get Some Seeds and Seedlings 13May22 PDF_Vers1_23Sep26Download

The introduction of Price controls on foods, goods and services may become essential as this cost-of-living crisis develops. We would be fools to rule out rationing becoming necessary too

Yes, it does feel a bit like being the voice of doom and gloom as I write and produce videos about all the things that are going on and talk about what we can realistically expect as being likely to happen next.

The point is, that if someone like me can see what is happening and what is likely to happen next, the people we have elected as MPs have absolutely no excuse not to do so too.

In fact, our public representatives should be well ahead of the curve in both their horizon scanning and thinking than most.

Regrettably, they are not.

To be fair, the complexity of the growing problems and how each and every one of them interacts with the others is mind bogglingly scary to say the least.

Yet it is the culture of ‘let’s always take the easy option’ that exists, top to bottom within the British Political System, that has made the difficulties that are only just starting for us, significantly worse.

There are many people in this Country today who cannot afford to feed themselves, home themselves, clothe themselves, transport themselves or function normally in any way on the wages or income they have, without debt or benefits – or what is really a subsidy from the Government and therefore everyone else in some way.

Prices of the foods, goods and services that provide the basic essentials for life are spiralling out of control. Living at the standard we are experiencing even today, will soon become unaffordable for most.

Yet the complexities I mentioned above, all come back to just one thing: That the economic system we have today has been developed to benefit the self-interests of the few. That those driving it have continued to push prices up in the pursuit of ever-growing profits for as long as our stupid politicians have printed money and kept handing it out. When instead good politicians would have faced up to reality and dealt with the problems for wider society that have been caused by that same greedy few.

The Covid Pandemic has caused out of touch politicians and greedy business and financial leaders to overplay their hand.

In fact, the inflationary spiral they have created together is now out of reach of any form of control they possess. Indeed, the only actions our politicians have to address the issues are only serving to make the whole problem worse.

Events, or a coming chronology of them – which will have been caused by so many different profit-driven people with influence behaving in the same way, will combine to make basic food unaffordable where it is available. It will be absent from the supermarket and shop shelves where it would otherwise be not.

Food riots, as the system collapses and the old order makes way for a new one that will work for all will settle the mind of many. Especially the politicians that we have for the time that their waning power remains.

Greed, hoarding and any kind of self-driven prioritisation will have to go out of the window.

That will mean supermarket rationing as we experienced during the early Lockdowns. There will be an immediate need for Government to step in and fix prices along the entire food and essential goods supply chain, so that nobody can use this time of crisis to profit off the backs of us all.

Some of the more economically minded will baulk at the idea of any kind of price fixing, price regulation or price controls, because of its non-capitalist and non-market-friendly nature.

But the reality is that the epoch of easy money and making massive profits by exploiting the many to benefit the already bloated few, is now reaching its end.

A new system will emerge that will be fair to all. But it will not resemble anything that we’ve seen or experienced before.

As we walk the pathway to get there, it will be necessary to ensure that what we still have available – which will plenty for all of us without the influence or intervention of ongoing greed – will be made available fairly to all.

Money as we know it is likely to become only one of many different ways to make payment as change takes place. And it is therefore just as likely that rationing of the essentials that are available will also be necessary for everyone.

The times ahead may prove to be painful. But it’s the future which is possible for everyone once the change has been completed that we should look forward to.

The opportunities for a fair and just way of living, where everyone and everything matters are not just a pipe dream. They really exist and are there for us all.

After the pain, we have much happier times in store.

Foods We Can Trust: A Blueprint for Food Security and Community Resilience in the UK |Online Text
Local Planning for Food Shortages: A Guide to Local Support and Preparedness | Full Text
Iran and the Prospect of Food Shortages: Ask the Farmers – Go Local
Grow Your Own or ‘Home Growing’
Foods We Can Farm, Catch, Harvest and Grow Locally in and around the UK
The Basic Living Standard Explained
The Local Economy & Governance System | Online Text
The introduction of Price controls on foods 8Feb22 PDF_Vers2_24Aug26