Writing for MIT Technology Review, roboticist Illah Nourbakhsh urges us to consider the consequences of an automated workforce:
The elephant in the room is how robotics will play out for human employment in the long term. New robots will take on advanced manufacturing, tutoring, scheduling, and customer relations. They operate equipment, manage construction, operate backhoes, and yes, even drive tomorrows cars.
It is time for not just economists but roboticists, like me, to ask, How will robotic advances transform society in potentially dystopian ways? My concern is that without serious discourse and explicit policy changes, the current path will lead to an ever more polarized economic world, with robotic technologies replacing the middle class and further distancing our society from authentic opportunity and economic justice.
Its Time to Talk about the Burgeoning Robot Middle Class | MIT Technology Review