I want to talk about something that came to my mind as I was reading “The Coming Wave” by Mustafa Suleyman. This book delves into the upcoming tech revolution of AI and Synthetic Biology and how they will transform our world. I was just on the chapter discussing the impact these technologies could have on jobs, and it got me thinking about Elon Musk’s advocacy for guaranteed universal income (GUI).

The Roots of Human Motivation

To understand this, we need to think about why we have money, why people work, and why we innovate. Humans, like any other animal, are biologically programmed to survive and procreate. To achieve these goals, we need food and security. Everything humanity has built can be traced back to these basic needs and our drive to make achieving them easier.

The Scarcity Mindset

We usually want more of what is scarce, and we’ve been biologically tuned to use that as our reward function. We want more money because we think it’s scarce. We feel jealous of others who have more of what we desire. Interestingly, most of our desires today stem from influence rather than real, innate needs. We want what we think others have. We don’t hoard air because it’s abundant (clean air notwithstanding), but we do covet money to ensure we have enough food, shelter, and water.

Abundance and the Future of Work

So, if we lived in a world where food, security, and conveniences like cars, homes, and education were abundant, would we still want to hoard? Would we still need jobs? While we aren’t there yet, advancements like self-sustaining robots could revolutionize human existence. Companies like Tesla are developing robots that could one day mirror those from the movie “iRobot,” capable of performing all human necessities.

The Path to a New Societal Structure

It’s interesting that we’re heading towards the ultimate socialist world, but the path there won’t be a socialist one. Initially, wealth will be concentrated among a few, creating vast disparities. Eventually, as the abundance of necessities renders traditional wealth meaningless, this concentration will lose its significance.

The Ultimate Question

If and when this transformation occurs, what will humanity do? With survival and convenience guaranteed, how will we find purpose? This question remains open as we march towards an uncertain yet fascinating future.