Robots are the new immigrants
Countries around the world are cracking down on immigration. What was once used as a tactic to fill labour gaps and improve gdp because of aging populations and declining birth rates in developed countries ended up not working out. There are multiple historical examples of this (outlined below) but in this case it was too fast and it put strain on public institutions and job competition, caused illegal immigration and led to cultural tension and political polarization. So what now?
South Korea has had this problem of aging populations and low birth rates and instead of immigration they invested heavily in ai and automation to fill the gaps. While most would see this as a replacement for human jobs, it was because there weren’t enough South Koreans for the jobs in the economy. So as long as they use South Korean made robots and not foreign (Chinese) robots, their economy can benefit off domestic spending and production to grow. Now America is following what South Korea did but with American capitalist scale investments and robotics.
Historical examples:
In the late Roman Empire, labour and military shortages due to plagues, wars, and declining birth rates led Rome to invite barbarian tribes to settle and serve in the army. This temporarily filled gaps but undermined Roman control, as these groups retained autonomy, rebelled, and eventually carved out their own kingdoms accelerating the Empire’s collapse.
In medieval England, the Black Death caused massive population loss and labour shortages. Migration from within and outside the country helped restore the workforce. However, rising worker demands and resistance to wage controls weakened the feudal system, leading to unrest like the Peasants’ Revolt and contributing to the decline of medieval social structures.