Just because the predictions in the past were wrong doesn't mean they can't ever be right... I'd argue that when machines replaced the most menial tasks in the

Just because the predictions in the past were wrong doesn't mean they can't ever be right... I'd argue that when machines replaced the most menial tasks in the past, people always had the opportunity to move upwards (in terms of required skills). Up until now, they were replacing either animals (horse->tractor, mule->truck) or people who were overqualified for the work they did. The animals couldn't move to greener pastures, except for a few extremely well-adapted creatures who found new jobs as pets, or in sports. Humans in general were versatile enough to find something better, and the machines added enough free productivity to the system to allow us to consume what they were producing on top of the necessities previously consumed. It seems plausible to me that we're getting to the point where algorithms start to replace people actually operating at the limit of their capacities.