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Old 09-07-2017, 04:23 PM   #25
Michael Thayne
 
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Join Date: May 2010
Default Re: How hard is it to acquire raw materials for 3D printing?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anthony View Post
The trifecta of land/labor/capital still exists, and the general function of automation is to transform labor requirements into capital requirements.

Most simple production does not require strong AI. You might not get exponential tech advancement (which does require labor or strong AI), but you'd get exponential advancement in stuff until you hit some other limit.
Unless people don't want exponentially advancing "stuff". Developed countries in the real world have already gone far in the direction of transitioning to a service economy, and if you look at the numbers, manufacturing output isn't going down. Rather, we're producing as much physical stuff as ever with fewer workers. Most people have no desire to own three cars. So a Fifth Wave economy is likely limited by the supply of service workers, broadly defined to include professionals.
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