[d4nt]

It seems to me that the amount of time people work stays broadly constant, but automation changes what is considered "work".

To a farm labourer from 500 years ago, sitting on factory production line attaching two parts together doesn't feel much like work.

To a production line worker from 100 years ago, sitting at a computer typing emails to people and going to meetings doesn't feel much like work.

To us today, sitting around while the 3D printers in your factory print whatever your AI engine says they should, doesn't feel much like work. But I have a feeling that future generations will get tired of constantly analysing their performance and adjusting parameters.

[collyw]

By that reasoning Steven Hawking is hardly doing anything, as he barely moves. Work doesn't need to mean physical labor.

[randomdata]

Isn't that his point? 500 years ago, nobody would be willing to hire Steven Hawking. Period. He simply isn't capable of doing anything resembling what they would have considered work, even with the use of the modern tools he uses to interact with the world. Today, however, he is able to be a completely productive member of society because the work we need to do is completely different – and the work we need to do 500 years from now will unlikely resemble much of what we do today.