I agree. I enjoy this sub, the articles posted and discussions, but sometimes I lament that discourse is making it seem that the singularity will happen in the next 3-5 years, where a person in their late teens might forsake investing in education or working on building a career because they think a major societal overhaul is around the corner. My personal opinion - the level of automation will hit an inflection point in about 50 years or so - and then our economic system will have to be completely adapted to the new landscape.

So it's proven that mental symptoms come first is what you're saying?

Which causes which, though? I think I'd be depressed and anxious if I was constantly dealing with pain and malfunctioning bowels.

I think AI Chatbot delusions and misplaced empathy and attachment will become prevalent.

Upvoted for use of Salvo - side note, I've been reading the Backyard Starship series, and it's a solid entertaning read throughout.

I think folks underestimate modern society's demand for devices and distractions. You may be right, but there is usually far more nuance to most jobs than any AI on the horizon is able to tackle. I think production per capita will keep going up for a long time before the overall unemployment rate starts going down.

I do not think we will see the unemployment numbers from AI and Automation to begin creeping up for another few decades, but they inevitably will, and then there will probably be a decade of horrific unemployment, and then governments will have to start buying out certain highly automated sectors or product manufacturing or service in order to afford a UBI, basically a gradual shift to a hybrid communist/free market economy - that's the only way I see a UBI being feasible. Probably large government owned housing developments, at some point.

Not good business for the military industrial complex, though.

I think there is a threat of someone coding a malicious AGI, but any resentment, hostility, motivation for self preservation or increased dominion would have to be coded into its base logic.

I see it as inevitable that a humanoid robot capable of performing 75% of current jobs will hit the market at some point, with a price that makes for a good return on investment. After that is anybody's guess. I think it would require an entire re-thinking of how society works in general, and I have no idea how that would play out.

I would argue Mystery Science Theater 3000 pioneered the idea, pre-dating Beavis and Butthead by 4 years.

The philosopher says: "How would you like your latte?"