While I agree with your premise, the idea that people will have jobs creating automation is flawed. Most circuits today are designed with basic machine learning. That is extending into part assembly.it won't be long (maybe 10 years) before design engineering is completely automated.
With the increases in effeciency driving down cost, we even get to the point where automation is cheaper to replace than repair. Nobody fixes computers or TVs anymore, you just buy the newer, better model. So maitenace jobs are out.
But that applies to physical automation. The biggest hit will be in the lower teirs of white collar office work. All of those jobs can be done with software that can be replicated infinately. Theres a very small deployment window.
People will find things to do and some will flourish in the coming economy. Others who do well now will flop. Thats just how these transitions play out. But you are right, fear of the inevitable is pointless. We can't fight automation, but we can intellegently prepare for it. That means wise investing now, learning new skills and networking with others who can provide opportunities.
The idea of having an "automation-proof" job is nonsense. Who will be your customer if theyre out of work? These things have a ripple effect through the whole economy. As that begins to set in, employers will need to cut costs further which means capital investments in automation... It's a feedback loop until complete market saturation is reached. But it's not the end of the world, people will adapt in ways we can't yet foresee.
The more concerning issue for me is how society will respond. As job loss accelerates, more pressure will be put on politicians to "fix it", and the resulting overreach will drive a wedge through society between those willing dependants (who will proclaim themselves enlightened and the role of the government is to see to the well-being and quality of life of everyone - communism 2.0) and Anarchocapitalists who will seek freedom from oppressive taxation through things like cryptocurency. Most people lean slightly one way or the other now, but as job loss intensifies, I think it will become an extremely polarizing point of contention in society. Its not the effect on me that worries me, its the real potential it can push just enough people to the other side that my principles are threatened, and are supressed by the desperation of others who are less prepared.
I still have faith that people will be all right in the end, but it could pose a huge setback before the longterm benefits are realized.
I know how to feed myself, no worries there if automation takes my livlihood. But civil unrest or prolonged economic depression can start the whole of society down a destructive path that takes decades to extricate ourselves from.
I think automation is still a good thing, but there will be economic upheaval all around it in the coming years.
RE: Automation, Value, and Social Progress