Robots seem like they'll be less socially disruptive than LLMs will be with knowledge work.

The reason comes down to atoms vs bits.

Bits can diffuse at the speed of light, in the limit.

Atoms diffuse many orders of magnitude slower.

6 months ago, it was possible to be an engineer and refuse to use AI.

Now, it's impossible to be an engineer and refuse to use AI.

Robots, even hyper-successful ones, have high capital costs, they need to be built and shipped and installed.

That diffusion will take much more time, which means it will be less disruptive, even if the effect is large.

Plus, people will still want humans in service jobs most likely.

I don't care if an LLM calculated my claims adjustment, but I do care if the person at the coffee shop isn't a real person.