ubiquitous robotics ahead

this video is a startling demonstration of how reverse engineering the human brain is going to introduce trickle down effects into all human endeavors. it turns out that the brain (especially the cerebral cortex) is a regular and repetitive structure - i.e. a simple universal program for much of human understanding exists. ray kurzweil and jeff hawkins talk about this a lot. understanding of the hierarchical nature of brain processing will make machines more autonomous. ubiquitous robotics are not far. silicon valley robotics, which represents 40 organizations, reports a boom in robotics start-ups. foxconn (the taiwan based company that manufactures for apple) has announced that it will soon induct a million robots worldwide.

what do robotics and autonomous machines imply for human employment? are we moving to a future where "jobs" do not exist - a liesure society where people work to self-actualize, educate or amuse themselves.

ran prieur offers the following (he is interesting but has no faith in human intention):

If the tech system can adapt to resource exhaustion, we might emerge into a high-tech utopia/dystopia, in which it's easy to be comfortable but difficult to be happy. Social class will no longer be about power or even standard of living, but valuable activity. The upper class will hold the few important jobs that still require humans. The middle class will be hobbyists, practicing difficult skills that are not necessary for society. And the lower class will be content to consume entertainment.

i strongly believe that human beings will transcend class once free of the bonds of scarcity. if maintaining a tight hold on class was the primary objective, the internet would never have been made available. i think it's evolution, the rise of intelligent machines and abundance will break down class structure.