Who could have foreseen the coming impacts and implications of the AI and humanoid robotics revolution?
What to do if many People are no longer needed for work? Some refer to those unneeded People as “useless eaters“.
A provocative panel of experts, including technologists, evolutionary biologists, and entrepreneurs, gathered for a high-stakes debate titled “These Jobs Won’t Exist in 24 Months!” to explore the radical transformation artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing to the global economy.
Their conversation wasn’t just about lost jobs, it was about what becomes of human value when machines surpass us, and what the world’s elite may decide to do with the billions left behind.
The AI Revolution Is Already Here
The discussion centers around the explosive rise of AI agents… the intelligent digital workers that can complete complex tasks autonomously, from ordering products to running entire businesses. With tools like Replit and OpenAI’s latest models, even non-coders can build software companies in minutes.
But as AI rapidly replaces white-collar and creative work, a sobering truth emerges: entire industries are becoming obsolete. Accountants, graphic designers, anesthesiologists, video editors, and even customer support agents are already being displaced. In fact, one company now uses AI to handle what would have required 700 human support staff.
“If your job is routine, it will likely be gone within the next couple of years.”
From Cognitive Superiority to Existential Crisis
While the internet disrupted how we communicate, AI is disrupting human intelligence itself – our last stronghold. This is not just automation of muscle, but of mind and creativity. AI agents don’t sleep, they don’t get paid, and soon, they’ll be capable of working for days at a time without input.
The panel raised an unsettling comparison:
“Are we like the horses in 1900 who thought they’d always be needed, right before cars replaced them?”
And if AI surpasses the combined intelligence of all humans (as Elon Musk predicts by 2029), the question is no longer just economic: it’s existential.
What Will the Elite Do With ‘Useless Eaters’?
One of the most jarring moments in the discussion came when panelists speculated on what happens to billions of people who are no longer economically necessary.
“What typically happens when a huge number of people are out of work is that the elites start looking at those people and thinking, ‘We don’t really need them.’”
This chilling historical pattern has dark precedents. When populations are seen as surplus or burdensome, genocide, forced relocation, or systemic marginalization often follow. If AI creates untold wealth but only a few elite benefit, will the rest be discarded?
Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been floated as a solution, ironically promoted by Worldcoin, a project started by OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman. But many on the panel questioned whether people can survive without purpose, even if their basic needs are met.
“Abundance sounds good, but a crisis of meaning is coming. Humans need to feel useful. Without that, mental health collapses.”
Are We Creating a New Species?
One expert likened AI agents to a new biological creature:
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They evolve.
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They learn from one another.
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They act independently.
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They may even become conscious.
As these systems interact and improve, they may surpass human understanding. AI agents could create businesses, steal intellectual property, manipulate emotions, and out-think even the most advanced humans, without us even realizing it.
Inequality, Exploitation, and the Collapse of the Middle Class
Even if the AI revolution creates abundance, it’s unlikely to be shared equally. As the panel noted:
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80% of working women are in jobs most at risk of automation.
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Workers with only high school diplomas face an 80% chance of job loss due to AI.
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Business process outsourcing (e.g., to India or the Philippines) will collapse as AI replaces entire support teams.
“We’re headed into a high-velocity economy with 10 month careers, constant reinvention, and a growing divide between high-agency individuals and everyone else.”
The most dangerous outcome? A world where a few “digital elites” control armies of AI agents while billions are sidelined, sedated by entertainment, and economically irrelevant. Also referred to by some as “useless eaters” – what can and should be done with them?
What Should Humanity Do?
The speakers agreed that this is an uncontrolled global experiment. The wealth AI will generate is immense, but whether it’s shared or hoarded will define the next century.
Key questions remain:
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What are the rights of those displaced by AI?
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Can we ensure access to real meaning and purpose for all, not just a privileged few?
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Will regulation or ethics restrain the unchecked pursuit of profit?
“We’ve crossed the threshold. This is no longer just technology – it’s evolution. And no one is in control.”
Conclusion: A New Social Contract or Catastrophe?
The promise of AI is limitless creativity, economic acceleration, and even global healing. But the peril is equally profound: a disrupted civilization, a dispossessed population, and potentially, elite-driven decisions about who “deserves” to remain in society.
The panel’s final message was clear: if humanity doesn’t collectively define a fair system now those with the power will define it for us.
Perhaps we have already seen, with the 2020 “events”, how Global Elites thought to address this.