> Yes but what about all the horses replaced by machines?
The point is that people, like horses, can do other things. Humans don't even have to be better than robots at anything. It's the principle of comparative advantage.
> The point is that people, like horses, can do other things.
...like what? If we start with the assumption that AI can broadly replace humans in knowledge jobs, what industries are absorbing tens of millions of humans for labor?
I see this as a categorical difference. The difference between AI and agricultural mechanization is that AI is highly heterogeneous. During the mechanization of agriculture that you talk about (which also happened over generations), there were alternative industries to move to. What happens when AI is competing in the majority of industries? Are there going to be 10 million new plumbers?
The point is that people, like horses, can do other things. Humans don't even have to be better than robots at anything. It's the principle of comparative advantage.