The Rise of Robot Overlords: Not as Tyrants, But as the New MIddle Class

As the blue- and white-collar jobs are disappearing because of automation and artificial intelligence, it seems that some of the science fiction we've been reading or watching in the past are right. The way forward for humanity to keep on working and participating in their civilization's development is to adapt to what artificial intelligence cannot do.

For me, that would mean that we have to develop the aesthetic and art aspects of our education even more, but without sacrificing basic understanding of how technology works. It may also mean that we should definitely emphasize some college courses that will be for people to learn how to keep on building technology. And, of course, we really have to get space programs going, as the desire to explore and expand may be humanity's way of "getting away" from the AI/automation issue. We only need to look at our history during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance to know why we need to seek distant shores. The middle class, it seems, will be transformed into one that explores, builds, and dreams.

It would also mean that we have to change our whole operating system, as it were, for technology and lifestyle. Does this mean the end of consumerism/capitalism? I don't think so, but rather, they should evolve. In one way, I am disturbed, as development could go in a direction where it will be more about roles and usefulness in society, even for the arts. This would be similar to a bee hive, or an insect community. On the other hand, we may be looking at a future that is closer to the community ships in Wall-E.

And the sad part is, if we go full-on dystopia, what we're looking at is, in essence, the Megapolis societies of Judge Dredd.

And it all starts with what is happening now.

Article inspired by this Wired article; image taken from the same: https://www.wired.com/2017/02/ai-threat-isnt-skynet-end-middle-class/