Racing to the bottom is literally the outcome I am most afraid of
I don't want to live at the bottom
I don't want to live at the bottom
AI doesn't have workers rights, doesn't burn out, doesn't get sick, can be instantly onboarded, etc. The second we can be fully replaced with AI, we will be. Plan accordingly. I'm pursuing FIRE and considering moving into a trade.
Doesn't matter what plans you make, the impact will be across everyone!
Moving into a trade won't help, because the supply is doubling while the demand is lowering. Fewer people with money to spend; they'll fix their own damn toilets if the decision comes down to "buy food" or "hire plumber".
But leaving them out of this conversation like it doesn’t even exist is bonkers.
If there is really nothing for humans to do, whoever has control over (not necessarily ownership of) enough robots and AI to directly maintain and grow their collection of robots and AI, has something functionally equivalent to a breeding population of the stuff. (If they can't make more of themselves and humans made the initial batch, then that's a job humans can do so the initial condition has not been reached).
None of this helps people figure out how to look after their own interests in the meantime. The rest of society may carry on as today without AI, akin to the Amish if we're lucky (rejecting further developments unless good for us) or like Pol Pot if we're unlucky (reject anything that nerds like because nerds liked AI and everything breaks down).
On the other hand, the institutions may simply fail to handle reality, like in the Great Depression.
https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/05/29/how-much-do-i-nee...
In some kind of economic AI apocalypse, though, who knows if the assumptions behind FIRE will hold.
AI could and should benefit us all.
This may even be stable to enact and keep, as pensioners are famously more likely to vote than working people.