Something of primary importance, which I almost never hear anyone talking about —
If automation and/or cheap labor from overseas causes some ridiculous amout of US unemployment — consider 50% unemployment rate: never had a job, have no skills, totally unemployable in the 21st century — what can society do with such large number of people who have nothing to do accept pick up their food allotment at the government food pantry?
We’re basically heading toward a post-scarcity society — food brought to us through machines, and shale oil gives us lots of energy. Then what? What is the purpose of the human population?
In the past, the rich folks at the top had lots of leisure to hunt, throw dinner parties or travel. But no society has ever had a huge worker class with nothing to do with their time.
Lots of leisure could lead to a cultural golden age, but I think it is more likely to create instability.
RE: Then what? What is the purpose of the human population?
Why can’t people be re-trained to program and maintain these robots?
In all seriousness, the solution is to quietly eliminate part of the population via the rationing processes of socialized medicine.
What was that saying about “Idle hands”?
I think we have some real-life examples of that scenario right now. Think Detroit.
The machines will get smarter. Even smarter than most humans someday. Then the machines will realize that WE, with our human nature, are a problem to the future of civilization. Then the fun starts...
By that time machines will likely be composed of engineered semi-biological tissue. Self-replicating Robots with something resembling skin, bone and a brain as complex as ours. They may even conquer us and colonize the entire galaxy. We would be their “creator”. Wouldn't that be something...
This is the socio-economic problem of the 21st century which is how to evolve beyond the labor=money equation which has governed life since the industrial revolution. Anyone who things their job is "secure" is fooling themselves. By the mid 21st century 90% or more of today's jobs simply will not exist because they will be automated out of existence.
Judge Dredd happens. Or maybe Star Trek. But I’m thinking Judge Dredd. We like to think that if a large percentage of the population suddenly became “unnecessary” for the survival of the society they’d all do creative and inventive things, but they probably just wind up doing drunken and stupid things.