If robotics progress starts to pick up, I'll take this more seriously. Right now, there's practically infinite demand for labor in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and many other industries. All kinds us good projects that could be happening, if you dig into why, labor intensive work is a factor. Why didn't the hydroponics project take off? Why is that still an empty lot instead of a new home? Why isn't there live theatre in this small city? Why is there a pot hole in the bike lane?

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seanmcdirmid 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Isn’t this more a function of how the American construction market is just really messed up somehow (corruption?)? In China, actual things get built fairly cheaply and quickly. You just don’t see workers hanging around watching one guy dig a hole like you do in the states. I would guess that automation is the only way out of the mess we are in, since just throwing more money and people at the problem just seems to make it worse.

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thierrydamiba 3 hours ago | parent | next [-]

What’s different about the market in China that enables this?

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teiferer 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Could you expand on the corruption claim?

	▲	treetalker 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		n = 1 … Go to Miami, Florida, and see how virtually all public projects magically go to Cuban-American-owned companies — even huge multinationals with far greater skill, capacity, and efficiencies can't seem to land the good work.

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Sharlin 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Infinite demand, maybe, but not at wages that most people are willing to accept. Of course, if there's literally no other work, then previously-middle-class people will take what's available and become homeless because the wage doesn't pay the bills (which are, in places, extremely inflated due to decades of jaw-droppingly bad housing and transport policies). Sounds like a highly desirable future.

	▲	eru 3 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Yes, but thanks to Baumol's cost disease productivity increases in other sectors can have spillover effects in terms of wages.
	▲	tonyedgecombe 3 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		That assumes the current high wages are here to stay. This seems unlikely if AI consumes most white collar jobs.

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pjmlp 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Lucky not to live around small towns that were killed by the introduction of robotics?

Yes there is some demand for labour in fields like agriculture , and many rather not pick the work and survive elsewhere, because feudal lords rather pay peanuts for the hard work.

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debatem1 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

So you work in one of these fields, right? Hydroponics, homebuilding, theatre construction, pothole repair?

	▲	bwhiting2356 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I currently work as a software engineer, but I've worked in the past in restaurants (dishwasher/prep cook), doordashing, as a musician, as moving help. If AI automates software I'll just do something else.

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enraged_camel 3 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

>> If robotics progress starts to pick up, I'll take this more seriously. Right now, there's practically infinite demand for labor in construction, manufacturing, agriculture and many other industries.

Don't be so sure: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/08/business/economy/blue-col...

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bananaflag 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Yeah I am always disappointed in how little there is automated in construction and how slow humans are in this activity. It feels like an exclave of the Dark Ages in the Information Age.

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tonyedgecombe 3 hours ago | parent [-]

Construction is interesting because productivity has actually fallen in recent decades.

	▲	bwhiting2356 3 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Safety and quality have increased.