> Work brings dignity and purpose to people’s lives.

Speak for yourself! For me, and in my experience many others, work is a necessary evil. I’ve experienced more indignities in the workplace than anywhere else (though fortunately not as consistently as some people), and the thought of work being my life’s purpose is too bleak to entertain. I’m very happy for those who have a more positive experience, but some of us don’t fit so well.

Agreed.

Humans were never meant to work to line the pockets of billionaires who see us as mere speed bumps on the path to their personal success.

Work is an obscene use of intellect.

First, I want to be clear that in the sense you are talking about, I fully agree with you.

But "work", in the sense that AI can, in theory, replace humans in, is about more than just jobs. It's about many of the things that humans do—including many that we do for pleasure as well as for money, like painting, writing, and other forms of art.

In that sense, it absolutely does bring dignity and purpose to people's lives. Very few people can feel fulfilled without some form of work in their lives, whatever that looks like for them.