In the future we will all have our own personal robots. Fact.
It may not happen in the next 20 years, the next 100 years or even the next 1000 years, but if it can happen then it will. Eventually robots will be part of our society. This we know to be true, cos we've seen it in so many films. Ok, these are science fiction, and many of these films will often have one or all of these robotic slaves going on a human killing spree, or at all-out war with humanity. But we've got years of human/robot harmony before all that happens.
(Remember: given a long enough time period, if it can happen, it will).
(Remember: given a long enough time period, if it can happen, it will).
In the mean time, while we're waiting for the inevitable revolution/war/Armageddon/global genocide/enslavement of humanity by our robot overlords, a question has occurred to me: If society was capable of creating enough intelligent machines to do every job that man can do, then how would that work?...
Surely we'd all be out of a job?
Well this is exactly what people thought back in the last century when factories were becoming more and more automated. Not as much man power was required and many people were out of work.
But there's always other jobs right? If every person was replaced by a robot tomorrow then you'd think that'd be terrible.... but no.
Perhaps in the short term it might be a problem on a small scale, but if a company didn't need to pay a work force then that'd be a good thing. And here's why... Here's how the future society would work (in the few years of Human/Robot bliss, before the nightmarish apocalyptic world becomes a reality) if you put me in charge:
For every robot doing a human's job in government, the government will give free food to someone. They can afford to do this cos they won't be paying an individual, and because the robot works in a farm/factory that supplies the food.
If you expand this idea, then what you have is a semi-communistic society when everyone gets a minimum wage/minimum free food hand outs. And no-one has to work if they don't want to. There will still be free enterprise, so you can still get rich if you want outside of the system, but get this: No one pays tax. Why?... Well it's the future. What does the government need money for? Your bins are collected by robots. Your power is renewable energy, everything is free as it's run and maintained by robots, who don't need paying. There will never be roadworks again. Everything that needed doing is now future-proofed, so that if ever there was an issue with something, it can be fixed, instantly, by robots. Everyone will get free hand-out/credits... unless you're actually working yourself. But the money you earn is not taxed. There is the great incentive to work, but if you want to live a life of leisure, you can. Most people won't need to retire, as they're not working, and there will be no more pension adverts on TV. Your funeral is even free, (unless of course you actually want a freelance human priest to conduct the service). Robots can do everything.
This is all the more easily integrated globally if the whole world is as one and at peace.
Have I missed anything out? Who pays for the robots?... initially the government. But once a few robots are made, these are put to good use in robot-making factories. And before you know it, you'll have 6.5 billion automated, soulless, (potential) killing machines on the planet, ready to do a bit of hard graft for humankind, so that I can put my feet up, watch some TV and perhaps spend some more of my infinite free time painting, without worrying about where my next semi-communistic, government-issue, robot-prepared ready meal is coming from. Is that too much to ask?
