In a World of AI, What Need For People?

Artificial intellegence can make robots walk, talk, serve coffee, drive a car, dignose what ails you, or shoot to kill. So, in the future, what need is there for people? At present, folks of flesh and blood have the edge. The enormous cost of raising and training the existing workforce has already been paid, whereas the production and programming of robots to take their place remains to be undertaken -- but it will be.

And it's already happening as blue collar roles are assigned to robots. Thus as Google reports:

Robots are moving beyond basic factory assembly lines to handle intricate physical logistics and unstructured environments.Warehousing & Logistics: Robots are deployed for picking, lifting, sorting, and packing operations.Manufacturing: Standard welding, material handling, and quality control.Retail Operations: Automated check-outs, inventory-scanning robots, and robotic restocking systems.Hospitality & Food: Robotic arms are assisting with burger flipping, line cooking, and automated room service deliveries.

Artificial intelligence and robotic process automation (RPA) systems easily replicate rule-based information handling.Data Entry: Digital process automation handles data extraction, keyboarding, and database population.Finance & Accounting: Bookkeeping, payroll processing, and entry-level financial analysis are highly exposed to automation.Customer Service: Virtual assistants and AI chatbots handle Tier-1 queries, appointment scheduling, and basic sales qualification.Legal Support: Document review, standard contract analysis, and paralegal research are frequently offloaded to AI platforms.

What that means is that employment opportunities for humans will begin to disappear: slowly at first, then rapidly.

Already, the initial decline in paid employment has begun. Since 2016, hours worked by adult males in Canada have decreased by one hour per week amd will decrease by more than an additional hour over the next ten years. That's on average. For some, automation will eliminate the opportunity for employment entirely.

During the next decade the pace of AI implementation in the workspace will accelerate. Thus, for example, you will most likely soon be saying good-bye to your doctor's receptionist, and quite likely the doctor as well. Much cheaper than a human receptionist will be an AI-linked video camera, microphone and speaker. This system will identify and greet patients as they arrive and direct them to a cubicle where, in response to computer-generated prompts, they will state the reason for their visit and display any visible symptoms of whatever ails them to an AI-linked camera. In most cases, the AI will diagnose the condition and supply a remedy at least as skillfully as a GP, but at much lower cost.

Likewise, in most other trades and professions, AI will create widespread redundancy. Children will learn at home, and at their own pace, from AI terminals. Bright kids will have the opportunity to reach university entrance level before reaching their teens. Schools will shrink, as will opportunities for teachers. Some schools may replace teachers entirely with AI terminals, the role of staff then being solely to keep the electronics running and the children safe and disciplined.

But this will be only the beginning. In a time that will be short in generational terms, AI, in combination with robots, will assume virtually all human functions. What then the use of people without economic value? None, so it will be judged by the elite who will endeavor to ensure that non-elite and unproductive people rapidly disappear from the face of the Earth. Elimination may be achieved in various ways, but a one-child policy is a near certainty, with economic incentives that encourage a no-child choice.

What remains obscure is how national elites will interact with one another in the now dawning age of AI. Will they form an international consortium to manage the replacement of the common man with robots, or will they raise vast robotic armies in a contest for global supremacy. However, things turn out, history has yet to end.

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