(01-04-2017, 12:53 PM)SomeGuy Wrote: Emphasis mine. Is the SW adequate as is, or does it require more development work? What's the power consumption like? How on earth can something be "self-maintaining" and also "simpler than a toaster"? Is all this stuff going to be manufactured here? Will it manufacturer itself? What about liability concerns? Consumer uptake? Is machine-grown food today more or less prestigious than low-tech alternatives? Are people really going to want interact solely with robots all day, for every task? Are these only going to be software systems or industrial robots, or are they going to be walking around, grooming dogs, carrying groceries? How much will these things cost? Is everything going to be free in the glorious communist paradise of progress? Materials, energy, land, time, etc?
You don't need many people to manufacture, program, and service the machines. We already have people doing these things and they do not make up a majority of the workforce. With automation they will become more productive and so will be able to support more and more robots.
The issue Dave is talking about will first be manifest in service jobs that employ large numbers of people like truck driving, delivery people, warehouse staff, retail workers, food service workers, housekeepers and home caregivers, orderlies, nursing staff, phlebotomists, etc. Some jobs will be automated more easily than others. A machine that can communicate in and comprehend verbal instructions given in natural language, and which can move fluidly as a human does, will be able perform tasks just like those performed by servant or a slave. The future could be a robot slave economy like ancient Rome. The majority of citizens of the ancient city of Rome did not work and even those who did had more days off due to holidays than work days.