Long-term effects of the next few decades of AI

One really important question that I don't think has gotten enough attention in this sub is the broader effects of the next few decades of AI on society. I'd love to try to gather some thoughts and see what others think about this. These are my thoughts, but I can be really short-sighted.<br><br>The next few decades will likely see a huge spike in the adoption of AI. This has both positive and negative effects. The negative effects are what I'm really concerned about.<br><br>The next 2-3 decades will be a massive dislocation. That is, where a huge number of people will lose their jobs. Given that AI is currently going to be a first-order effect (direct substitution of jobs) during this period, there will be a lot of economic disruption, and a lot of people will suffer. This will be the hardest thing about the next few decades for us to work through.<br><br>However, this period of dislocation will be followed by a huge spike in prosperity, as more and more of the economy can be automated. This will be wonderful for everyone, as everyone will be able to enjoy free food, housing, transportation, and the ability to pursue whatever they're most passionate about, without worrying about money.<br><br>So the next few decades will be an interesting time. They'll be a dislocation followed by mass prosperity. But then, what's next?<br><br>The longer-term effect of AI will be the complete elimination of work. With AI doing everything, there will be no need for human labour. This will create a kind of post-scarcity economy, where there's so much abundance of resources that they can be given away for free.<br><br>So, what does this mean for us as a society? With no work, what purpose do we have? How do we even define ourselves?<br><br>Are we going to end up as a "Useless Class" as Yuval Harari describes? This sounds like a really grim future, where people are given a guaranteed income but are essentially useless. This is a really sad future for humanity, and I don't want to see it happen.<br><br>Or, are we going to see a mass spiritual awakening? Where people can pursue their passions unbridled, and use their time and energy to try to make the world a better place? I'm wondering if we'll see a resurgence in the arts and sciences, as people finally have the time, energy, and resources to pursue what they're truly passionate about.<br><br>So, given this, what are some really important questions we should be thinking about?<br><br>Some of the ones that I've been wondering about include:<br><br>* How will we solve the dislocation problem?<br>* How will we make sure everyone has enough resources to pursue their passions?<br>* How will we redefine work?<br>* How will we redefine our purpose and identities?<br>* How will we answer the question of "who are we" if we're not defined by what we "do"?<br>* How will we avoid the useless class problem?<br>* How will we make sure everyone has access to resources and opportunities?<br>* How will we make sure that we're using our resources and time and energy wisely?<br>* How will we avoid wasting our potential?<br><br>There are a lot of questions that come with the next few decades of AI, but I think these are some of the most important ones. Let me know what you think.<br><br>I'd love to hear your thoughts on all of this. What do you think the long-term effects of the next few decades of AI will be?