Of course the first robots were actually humans as such. The word comes from Czech, from robota ‘forced labour’. The term was coined in K. Čapek's play R.U.R. ‘Rossum's Universal Robots’ (1920).
David Autor, a world expert on the subject of work related robotics says: “Most work processes draw upon a multifaceted set of inputs: labour and capital; brains and brawn; creativity and rote repetition; technical mastery and intuitive judgment; perspiration and inspiration; adherence to rules and judicious application of discretion.”
So perhaps robots to take on the dullest tasks, leaving humans to do the more interesting bits wouldn’t be a bleak scenario. Watch out for an ag bot coming to farm near you!
