There's a short story, Manna [1] by Marshall Brain, which illustrates two potential outcomes of an AI revolution. In one scenario, the people who are out of wo

There's a short story, Manna [1] by Marshall Brain, which illustrates two potential outcomes of an AI revolution. In one scenario, the people who are out of work (i.e., most of them) are housed in prison-like welfare dorms. Most jobs are done by robots, so ending up in the dorms is basically a life sentence. They are "strongly discouraged" from even going too far from the dorm buildings. This scenario plays out in the United States. In the other scenario, taking place in Australia, the AI/machines handle all of the infrastructure of the society, and due to the efficiency with which they do so, the human members live a leisurely existence. It's essentially a post-scarcity society in which energy is the only limiting factor, so everyone gets a certain amount of disposable credits per month with which they can do what they choose--be it create art, buy custom clothing, participate in entertainment, perform research, or donate it to someone whose work they enjoy or find to be worthwhile. It reminds me of the outcome hoped for by proponents of Basic Income, which is that letting everyone do what they are most interested in doing will result in a richer existence for all of humankind. The author also explores interesting interpersonal and technological aspects whose degree of plausibility will depend on how much you buy into the Singularity, but my main point in posting this, besides hopefully introducing someone to a good read, is to say that AI does not represent some inevitable force that is bound to change the course of human existence in one particular way. AI itself and the environment in which it exists are things that are continually shaped by human actions both individual and collective. If an AI revolution is brewing, it is in its very early stages. I have no doubt that powerful interests are interested in remaining powerful, so those of us who pay attention to developments in the field should also pay attention to the uses they are put to, and to do all we can to guide them towards humanitarian ends instead of pure profitability. [1] http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm