Hello cawacko,
The beauty of a discussion board like this is we can dream about anything. In the real world there will never be a world like you desire in your second paragraph because it goes against human nature.
Well, obviously we disagree.
I don't really dream about what I envision. I simply realize that it appears inevitable. I am curious why you think a) it will never happen, and b) it goes against human nature.
As to a)
I don't see any way around it, actually. Artificial Intelligence is growing by leaps and bounds. Computing power continues to grow. Computer memory has gotten cheaper and cheaper. These trends will continue. Amazing things have been developed in just the last few decades we now take for granted. None of that progress is about to stop. What's around the corner? Artificial Intelligence, that's what. The power of AI is hard to imagine, but it is coming whether we want to believe it now or not. AI will be able to drive machines that will have the ability to learn and adapt. Machines will be able to identify an unusual problem and the need to take action, determine what action to take, and implement it. They will be able to do mental and physical problem solving. AI could envision a new machine for a purpose, design it, and build it. AI machines can fix and service other AI machines. AI machines could eventually replace doctors, engineers, nurses, technicians, service people, drivers, handlers, stock and sales, logistics, farmers, stock brokers, mechanics, pilots, executives, authors, architects, constructions workers, landscapers, even artists. Not all of these at first, but eventually, yes - all of them.
Since most of the functions done by humans will one day be done by machines, that can free up humans to do other things. The scary thing is where does it stop? Once machines realize they don't even need humans, what is to stop them from deciding we are not worth the hassle? No, I don't dream of this scenario. I recognize that it is a valid concern and we will have to figure out how to deal with it.
How will we transition from where we are now to this possible and likely future?
Capitalism rewards those who hold the most capital. The way we operate right now, the most complex machines are very expensive. They are primarily used to displace workers. A big rich corporation can own machines that replace workers, but most individuals cannot afford one so complex. The biggest employers will use their capital to invest in these smart machines, displacing huge swaths of workers. Warehouse pickers at Amazon and such will be among the first to lose their jobs. Truck drivers, taxi drivers and delivery drivers, also. Fast food workers. There will be some new jobs developing and servicing the initial machines, but those jobs will be far fewer than the ones eliminated. And most of the eliminated workers will find no suitable work for which they are capable. What is to become of them? They are not all going to school to learn how to perform more complex jobs. That impact on our economy will be devastating. And it will be only the beginning. Before all those workers can adjust, even more will lose their jobs.
The economic impact cannot be understated.
Something will have to be done. There are going to have to be changes in the way people acquire their sustenance. At first, unemployment and welfare programs will try to accommodate these changes, but quickly it will be too much. Those institutions will be overwhelmed. We are going to have to think about making some pretty major changes to the way our economy works in order to deal with all of this.
Why should government pay a bunch of workers to distribute funds when it might be a lot more cost effective to release most government social workers from their obligation and simply issue all of them, and the other displaced workers a monthly check instead?
Meanwhile, the holders of capital are going to have a big problem once too many workers are eliminated. Those workers are also their customers. If the ex-workers are no longer getting any income, they cannot buy products. The big corporations will be removing the wealth stream from those who provide the wealth stream for the big corporations. That is a recipe for a huge recession the likes of which has never been seen. It's not hard to see where all of that would be headed.
The Universal Basic Income. It's not a dream. It is an inevitability. There is no way for the economy to avoid catastrophe without it.
Let's look at b)
Does it really go against human nature for us to eliminate menial tasks and free our time up for other activities? I don't think so. Most people would love to be freed up from chasing the dollar all day to do more interesting things of their own choosing. How many rank and file workers do you think would jump at the chance to take any given day off the job if they were told they still get their paycheck anyway? Fishermen would go fishing. Jocks would play sports. Artists would create art. Writers would write. Cooks would cook. Gardeners would grow. Tinkerers would tinker. Talkers and socialites would talk and socialize. Party people would have parties. Bars would do a great business. Entrepreneurs would venture. Community groups would have more activities. And families would experience a new deeper bond with more time together.
Every day could and would be like that day.
I believe human nature is that most humans are tired and bored with doing the same job every day whether they feel like it or not. Some people really do enjoy their work, I know. And most people enjoy their work on some days. But not everybody enjoys their job every day. Huge numbers of people would jump at the chance to be freed from the bonds of labor to pursue whatever they felt like doing. That's how I see human nature.
You know, most people do not get enough sleep. This makes them irritable and poorly adjusted into society. This could represent a quantum shift in humanity. Imagine how well people would interact if everybody had the chance to get all the sleep they need? Better family values, more closeness, deeper bonds, more well-adjusted people who are not so stressed out and get proper sleep? That has got to produce a higher level of society.
This could be really great.