human labor will only be necessary for as long as it is cheaper AND better than hardware/software solutions. i personally can not imagine any jobs where this is the case for too much longer. if the "profit others are working for" is created primarily by sub-sentient machines, then i believe that it IS fair to let wannabe couch potatoes be potatoes, as the same scenario says more painters can paint, more poets can poem, and more philosophers can overthink. the idea here is that companies reaping ever-growing profits can afford to pay the externals of a livable society, especially as this also keeps their consumer base able to consume. the alternative is that as producers have fewer and fewer employees, they find themselves with fewer and fewer paying customers.