Probably worth calling out the two of the biggest observable negative effects of automation that have occurred over time:
1. We've decimated the bottom end of the skills market in developed countries. Something often touted in the psychometrics literature is that the number of jobs for folks with IQ under 85 are quite rare in the US where once they were common. That's ~15% of the population who are close to un-employable.
2. People who spend years or decades on a skillset see it devalued and their income drops. It is often difficult to get a "second shot" at a new career in your 40s and can be deeply disruptive to you and your family's lives. Growing up I watched this happen to the parents of several friends who'd made careers in things like printing that were obsoleted by digital revolution. None of those people achieved the monetary success they might have in an un-disrupted industry.
1. We've decimated the bottom end of the skills market in developed countries. Something often touted in the psychometrics literature is that the number of jobs for folks with IQ under 85 are quite rare in the US where once they were common. That's ~15% of the population who are close to un-employable.
2. People who spend years or decades on a skillset see it devalued and their income drops. It is often difficult to get a "second shot" at a new career in your 40s and can be deeply disruptive to you and your family's lives. Growing up I watched this happen to the parents of several friends who'd made careers in things like printing that were obsoleted by digital revolution. None of those people achieved the monetary success they might have in an un-disrupted industry.