It does make one wonder how it'll all play out in the coming decades. One way or another humans will eventually be unemployable for most of currently existing jobs.
Throughout history, the ruling elite had always relied on the rest of the population to make their food, do their work, and fight in their wars. This is the first time ever that they will no longer have any need for anyone else. Maybe climate change will conveniently do the culling for them...
Of course there's always that option that we end up in a post scarcity space utopia where machine produced wealth is distributed to all, but only deluded idealists can possibly still think that'll ever be a real option as we slink further into techno feudalism with every passing day.
With full automation, and using renewable energy, it will be very cheap to feed and house the peasants. I'm guessing it will become mainly about entertaining, so most will move into VR worlds, first through headsets, then BCI, and eventually uploading.
Ah yes the Ready Player One option. I suppose it's not entirely unlikely, part of the fun of being in charge is being able to boss around the peasants after all.
I doubt BCI will ever make sense, on a conceptual level it's still just copying and killing your biological self. AGI will likely solve aging way before that becomes viable.
Throughout history, the ruling elite had always relied on the rest of the population to make their food, do their work, and fight in their wars. This is the first time ever that they will no longer have any need for anyone else. Maybe climate change will conveniently do the culling for them...
Of course there's always that option that we end up in a post scarcity space utopia where machine produced wealth is distributed to all, but only deluded idealists can possibly still think that'll ever be a real option as we slink further into techno feudalism with every passing day.