The news of a teachable industrial robot that costs less than many cars doesn’t have to be scary.
That’s for the same reason why outsourcing isn’t necessarily scary.
Yes, both developments mean that unskilled and low skilled jobs are going to be few and far between.
I am also writing this blog post on a bit of handheld electronics that outstrips most of the computers I’ve used throughout my life… And it cost less. Before adjusting for inflation.
While the loss of jobs sucks, automation also drives down the cost of manufacture…especially for basic goods.
A scarcity of goods and the cost of manufacture have kept us from being able to supply a basic quality of life to ALL people.
With every improvement to efficiency, with every reduction in manufacturing costs, we come a step closer to being able to provide a basic level of sustenance to all people.
And it would no longer be dependent on whether or not they had a wage slave job.
That sounds like a worthy goal to me.