Well, sure, but I think there's something to be cautious about here. The legend goes that the Romans never found an economically useful application for the stea

Well, sure, but I think there's something to be cautious about here. The legend goes that the Romans never found an economically useful application for the steam engine (the aeolipile invented by Heron of Alexandria) because they already relied on a massive labor force of slaves. But it's precisely this barrier that we've begun to cross that indicates there are some very old questions that we should be asking ourselves again. I think you and I agree that at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is that this increased economic efficiency has the potential to improve everyone's wellbeing, not just concentrate wealth in the hands of a few.