[kmicklas]

This is an interesting line of thought. The spread of capitalism was fueled by the new technology of the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps the next mode of production will be fueled by this 'Internet/Computer/Robot/AI Revolution'. Maybe the important change is this "trivially scalable output irrespective of capital" property, but no one really seems to know what this will lead to.

[philipkglass]

It seems like it could lead to a world of abundance for everyone. One potentially severe complication: if machines can make anything there's a blueprint for, they can also make all manner of weapons. What if the occasional unpredictable spree killer could fab up a crude cruise missile full of nerve gas instead of buying a bunch of rifles? Or even what if someone fabs a throng of standard tree-trimming robots and reprograms them to trim the limbs off humans instead?

Most people aren't willing to kill other people. In a world of abundance, I expect that even fewer will be willing. But the few killers who remain could have vastly amplified powers of destruction. I don't like how Marshall Brain's Manna solved the violence problem, but I haven't got any great answers of my own.