What if all of humanity didn't have to work?

[instaclay]

In the day of ever increasing computerization/automization:

How would humans play a role in getting things done? -or- How would the general population "make a living" when they're not needed to make anything?

[gmuslera]

They will still have to earn money somewhat to be able to live/get food/etc? If yes will be mass poverty, death, and/or living at expenses of a government (and won't be a estable situation). If no a sizable percent will anyway still be active, a lot of people don't just want to live, but do something, get a meaning for life, and it won't be only sports or arts.

There are areas (specially services, not so much products that can be mass produced) where no matter how much automatization you get will be hard if not impossible to replace the human touch, at least while we don't get general AIs with human-like intelligence and personality (for some meaning of it, anyway)

[mb2100]

They wouldn't have to "make a living", they could just live.

[VirtualApe]

Three words...The Venus Project!

[holymac]

This is not possible. sorry sir.

[instaclay]

I don't think it's that far fetched to think of. Robotics have already replaced a lot of jobs. Faster stronger and more accurate machines doing a far better job than humans. Add the ever increasing cheap processor power to them and you get better decision making.

The question is a just theoretical anyways. How would our economy withstand not needing human labor/services?

[krapp]

This is kind of a dystopia disguised as a utopia to me.

Who builds the robots?

The robots build themselves.

Who builds the factories that build robots, who mines the raw material to make them, who provides the fuel to run everything?

The robots do these things too. There is no human labor, the robots do everything.

Who owns the land and the buildings and the infrastructure to support and maintain the robots?

Obviously, the robots own everything as well.

Who makes the decisions about distribution of goods and services?

The robots make all the decisions, dispassionately and fairly.

But who writes the laws?

The robots.

And who enforces the laws?

The robots.

I... don't forsee this scenario ending well for the humans. The problem is, a civilization in which humans play no active role is also one in which they have no power. We'd basically wind up as morlocks, assuming the machines don't just grind us up into lubricant first.