In the past, JOBS were a way to redistribute money and keep the money cycle flowing. The rich who owned companies are rich because the average consumer pays for their products and services. The rich then hire workers and pass money down to them, as well as spend money on other products made by other workers. But as unemployment reaches 20% then 30% then 40% over the next 50-100 years. We'll have to readjust the way we redistribute money in order to keep the money cycle going. Otherwise the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer, to a point, then the whole system will collapse because who will have the money to buy your products. If the middle and lower class don't have any money to spend on the products that the company using robots makes... Product creators will effective kill off their own wealth machine.
Decades ago 80%+ of everything we bought was made in our own country, now that number has dwindled down to, 20% was it? It was some terrible small number. Outsourcing to China was good in the short term (cheaper more affordable products) and terribly destructive in the long term (disrupting the money cycle and destroying jobs). Now everyone in the US is pissed off about unemployment, we're passing all sorts of job bills and stimuliouses, while we're all ignoring the giant elephant in the room. We pissed our jobs away in the name of cheaper products (consumers are just as guilty as shareholders).
Look at what outsourcing to China has done. Rich get richer, poor got poorer, then the economy tanked because consumers don't have money to spend on the products the rich make. Now imagine what automation is going to do... Driverless buses and subways (already in testing / already in use) that don't go on strike, robots that fix robots (almost there) and never ask for a raise. Robot pharmacists that don't make mistakes (already in testing). Robotic construction workers that don't join unions. The people who own these businesses that employ robots over humans will make tremendous profits and save lives and do a better, faster job too. But they will HAVE to redistribute their money using a new method. Socialism? Who knows.
I'm not afraid of this future where robots take over. In fact I'm looking forward to it. I'm just afraid of our refusal to adjust to it.