Rather than replacing human workers via direct automation, the Internet has allowed workers in low-wage nations to do much of the work that used to be done locally. Telephone support is a common example.
Even if a bot can't cook burgers correctly, a worker being paid 50-cents an hour in Timbuktu may be cooking burgers via remote-control. At a fast-food restaurant, there may be one human overseer monitoring several remote-controlled bots. I suspect that will happen before direct AI burgers. (It might even be a combo of AI and RC worker to speed response.)
In general it seems pretty clear that the owners of technology are growing ever rich while the rest are stagnating. GDP is growing, but it's not trickling down much since the 1980's. Nobody is sure, but technology appears to be the main "culprit". We may have to adjust our economic systems to avoid log-jamming the fruits of automation at the top.
Even if a bot can't cook burgers correctly, a worker being paid 50-cents an hour in Timbuktu may be cooking burgers via remote-control. At a fast-food restaurant, there may be one human overseer monitoring several remote-controlled bots. I suspect that will happen before direct AI burgers. (It might even be a combo of AI and RC worker to speed response.)
In general it seems pretty clear that the owners of technology are growing ever rich while the rest are stagnating. GDP is growing, but it's not trickling down much since the 1980's. Nobody is sure, but technology appears to be the main "culprit". We may have to adjust our economic systems to avoid log-jamming the fruits of automation at the top.