Don't have time to comment on it, but there's an excellent piece in Harvard Business Review about the societal challenges that will soon hit us, as more and more workers are replaced by robots.
In previous technological revolutions, new jobs have been created to replace those eliminated. But it appears that this time really is different.
One estimate: by 2025, the net job loss will mean that the U.S. may have "as many as 40 million citizens of no economic value." Brutal (and to hint at the wide range of social issues that this will involve, does anybody else think these left-behind workers will tend to be disproportionately people of color?)
Let's face facts: the highly touted "better education" is not going to solve this.
The author, famous venture capitalist Bill Davidow, concludes with this:
Ultimately, we need a new, individualized, cultural, approach to the meaning of work and the purpose of life. Otherwise, people will find a solution – human beings always do – but it may not be the one for which we began this technological revolution.
Frankly, I don't know what that even means, and I suspect Davidow may not be entirely clear on it himself. In any case, interesting times are ahead.
Update: a panel of leading economists shares the concern. (Of course it must be admitted that "panels of leading economists" don't exactly have a fantastic track record.)