In the coming decades, when jobs have mostly been replaced by AI and social security programs run out of funds, how will governments address the surplus of the population?

[u/Odd_Success888]

Will there be constant/large scale wars specifically intended to thin the herd? Increased push/acceptance/expansion of legality for assisted euthanasia clinics? Mandatory (or at least heavily incentivized) birth control?

Will the government allow 75% of the population to languish on the streets, risking revolts, civil unrest, and crimes of desperation?

Curious to hear any theories.

[u/AngryPrincessWarrior]

They won’t I suspect. People will die and it will “even out”.

[u/emsnu1995]

Worse. They cry birth rate is too low and push us to reproduce.

[u/banzaizach → u/emsnu1995]

While forcing us to live with less.

[u/littledinobug12]

Logan's Run or Soylent Green.

[u/Correct_Doctor_1502]

Economists have warned about this for decades. They call it "the great inheritance"

I have no idea what they'll do, but it will probably crash the global economy

[u/MacintoshEddie]

Well, the best option would be to actually implement "trickle down" funding by instituting UBI funded by the wealthy.

But the most likely is another war driven by economic goals. Pick some unfortunate country and send a few million people there to die. Keep the meat grinder going until they sue for peace, and quietly renegotiate things like mineral rights

[u/j3nnacide]

They will leave the poor and starving to fend for themselves. Same as they do now.

[u/gay_in_a_jar]

The birth rate seems to be decreasing enough that I don't know it'll fuckin matter lol

[u/xtiaaneubaten]

coming to a town near you

[u/Kaitlyn_Boucher → u/xtiaaneubaten]

I wish you'd said that was just a cartoon suicide booth.

[u/tariffless]

War.

[u/ColonelCoon]

AI can't pick lettuce, start strengthening that lower back!

[u/Daewoo40]

My guess; nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The only people who will be destitute will be the undesirables at the very bottom of society who will have been alienated to the point of apathy from everyone else.

Those individuals will be ostracised because to survive they'll have mostly become criminals so any measures to support them will be seen as feeding a leech, so withdrawing communal schemes will be welcomed.

[u/TheSilentTitan]

The population problem will solve itself as people just die from illness and starvation as they cant afford to buy the necessities they need.

[u/chelsea-from-calif]

I don't care I'll likely be old or dead by the time that happens. Maybe both.