> So the question shouldn’t be, "How many people can we replace with AI? Replacing human labor with machine labor is essentially what automation is. Look what

> So the question shouldn’t be, "How many people can we replace with AI? Replacing human labor with machine labor is essentially what automation is. Look what happened to telephone operators and bank tellers on one end (replaced by machines like automated switching systems and ATMs) and clerical workers and cashiers on another (replaced by tools like office software and self-checkout systems.) The sales pitch to businesses is, and continues to be, saving money by replacing paid humans with unpaid machines. I don't think that AI changes the fundamental trajectory of automation, or its tendency (over the past few decades at least) to widen income disparity as displaced workers move to lower-paying service jobs that aren't yet automated, but it may have much wider impact than previous automation waves.