2 Thessalonians 3:10 and the Singularity

As technology continues to improve, the number of tasks that robots/automation/AI can do will continue to increase. Based on my reading I expect the plurality of jobs will be absorbed into the machine within my lifetime. Not just the jobs can be done, but will be done by automation. When that happens the means of production will not require human input for the most part. Therefore we will have little necessary work to do.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says if if you are "unwilling to work you shall not eat". But what if there is no work to be done? Beyond the scripture we already on average spend 11 hours a day looking at a screen. A lot of that is work, but a lot of it isn't. We already know it isn't healthy and the social interactions via texting and social media are not as healthy and meaningful as more direct communication. So the question is this, when humanity does not need to work what do we do?

I really don't know the answer to that question... Economically we couldn't compete with the quality, speed, and price of automated systems. So unless there was some kind of subsidy or a "made by humans" premium people were willing to pay, work could have no real economic impact for the most part.

People could do work that was economically unnecessary. Like gardening, beautification, mending, crafting, writing, and the like. We could make the world beautiful. Not because we needed to, not because we were getting paid, but because there was nothing else to do with ourselves.

I don't know. I don't want this to be all depressing, but I just don't see it working out well. Even if we managed to craft a system where we all got paid a base wage so even without a job you'd be able to live ok I think things would go south pretty quickly. With most of the population left to their own devices, with no need to be productive ever again I think a lot of the newly freed up focus would get used poorly. A grand scale version of the old saying "Idle hands are the devil's workshop."

I think the very stability of society rests on the NEED that people have to HAVE to be productive. When most people have to do things to keep their life working well they stay out of trouble for the most part. Take that away and... things don't work so smoothly.

Maybe I should get a sandwich board that says "The End is Near" and stand on the corner yelling at people.