History Has a Way of Repeating Itself - Victorian Age 2.0
Most people don’t have the faintest idea of the true impact of the societal transformation that’s coming. The idea for this post was born in the comments section of my friend 
Humanoid robots, like Tesla’s Optimus, will begin rolling out to the public in about a year. They will be able to do nearly everything a human can do. The robots will learn just like we do as well—simply by watching a human perform a task or a video of that task being done.
These humanoid robots won’t just do household chores and be our companions but they’ll also be able to do more complicated tasks like home renovation that we’d typically hire a contractor for. It will not only be our live-in "help" but will also have genius level intelligence and the dexterity of an athlete. When you begin to think of the cascading job losses that will be triggered by this transition and the ways in which it will reshape our society it’s mind-numbing.
My wife and I started watching Downton Abbey last week. I know, we’re super late to that particular party.
As we watched how the aristocratic class was waited on by an army of servants from the time they awoke to when they were tucked into bed at night something clicked in my brain. In some ways, we’re stepping right into a version of Victorian Age 2.0. Humanoid robots will give any household who can afford one the very same kind of luxury. A personal robot will take on the role of chef, body guard, maid, valet, and even chauffeur for those who don’t already have a vehicle capable of driving itself.
If history is any indicator this golden age of personal robotics probably won’t last forever. People will begin to think about and discuss how sentient robots should have basic rights. I’m already beginning to see discussions about robots rights online. It’s a strange, new world we’re stepping into and it’s sometimes difficult for our human intellect to keep up.
If five decades on this planet have taught me nothing else it’s taught me how often history repeats itself and it’s doing so again. This first phase of robotics will create an era much like we saw in the Victorian/Edwardian ages.
I’d be the first to admit what great timing this will be for Generation X as our joints begin to stiffen and our physical strength begins to weaken. But you’d better believe I’ll be a the best robot boss I can be—always conscientious and polite to my robot. I think I’ll call it Demerzel as a not-so-subtle nod to Isaac Asimov.
I had a friend, years ago, tell me he always is super-polite to AI, thanking it whenever he could. He said it was because he wanted to be on its good side when AI takes over. The AI he was talking about was Siri so I just shrugged it off as a personality quirk. As quickly as this technology is now evolving I think I can honestly say that perhaps Doug wasn't quite so quirky after all.
All for now. Thanks for reading.