300 years ago, 80% of the population had to work in agriculture just to keep the country fed and alive. Now, less than 5% work in agriculture and we produce so much food, that supermarkets have to throw more than half of what they buy.
Productivity has been growing in a exponential way since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Automation will allow many of the products we consume today to be produced almost without human intervention.
My point is that we, as a society, will be able to maintain the same standards of living (or increase them) while the workforce shrinks.
The only issue here is how the wealth produced by the automation will be distributed, but I can imagine a future where people is actually employed during less than half of their lives and still live well enough.
Productivity has been growing in a exponential way since the beginning of the industrial revolution. Automation will allow many of the products we consume today to be produced almost without human intervention.
My point is that we, as a society, will be able to maintain the same standards of living (or increase them) while the workforce shrinks.
The only issue here is how the wealth produced by the automation will be distributed, but I can imagine a future where people is actually employed during less than half of their lives and still live well enough.