On reflection, self-driving cars might be a bad example; considering that "truck driver" is the most widely held occupation in America, it's logical to infer th

On reflection, self-driving cars might be a bad example; considering that "truck driver" is the most widely held occupation in America, it's logical to infer that a ton of people are going to lose their jobs when automated trucking comes about. What makes me hopeful is that it's an example of robotics enriching the standard of life across the board. I can't help but feel it's inevitable that advances in that area will fuel learning that drives robotic innovation in other areas. Sure, it could lead to America (and the world as a whole) turning into a dismal hellhole of widening economic disparity between the haves and the have-nots. However, given the fact that humans are terrible at predicting so much as the weather in ten days, I can't help but retain a sense of optimism just out of lack of a productive alternative in mindset.