Part 8/16:
The advent of embodied AI and autonomous robotics will unleash new Total Addressable Markets (TAM)—some estimates reaching $40 trillion or higher—by drastically reducing the cost of physical labor and opening near-infinite productivity potential. Tasks presently requiring human effort—mowing lawns, cleaning, delivery—could become commodified, affordable, and ubiquitous.
However, this transition raises critical societal questions. As a small, wealthy segment adopts these robots early, wealth gaps could widen unless proactive measures, such as Universal Basic Income (UBI) or robot taxes, are implemented. The risk is a societal divide between those who own and benefit from AI and those displaced by it.