In short, AI algorithms will be to many white-collar workers what tractors were to farmhands: a tool that dramatically increases the productivity of each worker and thus shrinks the total number of employees required. And unlike tractors, algorithms can be shipped instantly around the world at no additional cost to their creator. Once that software

Given that truly capable and autonomous elder-care robots are unlikely to emerge in the near future, it might seem reasonable to expect that the looming shortage of nursing home workers and home health aids will, to a significant extent, offset any technology-driven job losses that occur in other sectors of the economy.

As this technological trend accelerates, the capital requirements to produce a product will decline precipitously. To run a small robotic factory could be like running your own data center, well within reach of the individual entrepreneur.

The development of AI and the robotics industry is not only about power but wealth. There are major tax incentives for the automation of work, and from the perspective of CEOs, it is a simple matter of pragmatics. Humans are messy; they lie, steal, get sick, need vacations and rest.