What fundamental societal changes will occur if humans and humanoid robots coexist in the future?

Hello! Regarding this question, I think we can discuss it from a few angles that ordinary people care about most and can most easily imagine. It's not as mysterious as it sounds; in fact, it's much like when the internet and smartphones first emerged – it will gradually change every aspect of our lives.

What Will Our World Look Like If Humanoid Robots Truly Arrive?

Imagine a future where robots, almost indistinguishable from humans, are on the streets, in offices, and even in our homes. Our social structure would undergo revolutionary changes. This isn't just about adding another "high-tech appliance"; it's about adding an entirely new "member of society."

1. Redefining 'Livelihoods': Work No Longer the Sole Means of Survival

This is what concerns everyone the most. Many repetitive, dangerous, or precision-requiring jobs will certainly be replaced by robots. For example:

Factory workers, delivery personnel, drivers, restaurant servers: These positions will be largely replaced by robots because they don't get tired, don't make mistakes, and have lower costs.
Home caregivers, nurses' aides, security guards: Robots can be on standby 24/7, providing standardized services and care.

But this isn't entirely bad. Humans will be "liberated" to do things robots cannot:

Creative work: Art, scientific research, literary creation, strategic planning.
Emotional and interpersonal work: Psychologists, teachers (the guidance and emotional communication aspects), team managers, professions requiring deep empathy and communication.
Robot management and maintenance: You'll transition from 'tightening screws' to 'managing robots that tighten screws'.

The biggest change might be that 'work' and 'income' could decouple. When societal productivity is greatly enhanced by robots, governments might implement 'Universal Basic Income' (UBI). Simply put, this means you'd receive a sum of money each month to cover basic living expenses, regardless of whether you work. People would then work more to achieve self-worth and pursue their passions, rather than simply to make a living.

2. Changes in Family and Social Relationships: Companion or Tool?

When a robot can help you with housework, tutor your children, and even chat with you to relieve boredom, its role in the family becomes very subtle.

A new family member?: For elderly people living alone or children, a highly intelligent robot might become their most important 'companion'. Will we develop emotional dependence on robots? If so, what kind of relationship would that be?
Alienation of human relationships?: If we become accustomed to interacting with 'perfect' robots that are always patient and obedient, will we still have the patience to deal with complex, contradictory real human relationships? This could exacerbate societal atomization and individual loneliness.
Ethical dilemmas: Can you 'scold' or 'punish' your robot? Is a robot considered 'property'? If a robot develops something akin to 'self-awareness', how should we treat it? These will all become new social issues.

3. Restructuring Legal and Ethical Systems

Our current laws are designed entirely based on 'humans'. The advent of robots will bring immense challenges.

Liability issues: If a self-driving robot car hits someone, whose responsibility is it? The owner, the car manufacturer, or the algorithm engineer?
Robot 'rights' issues: It sounds like science fiction, but if robots become highly intelligent, should they possess certain basic rights? For example, the right not to be abused. This will spark intense social debate.
Crime issues: If robots are used to commit crimes, how should they be punished? Should the robot be destroyed, or should its owner or developer be penalized?

The entire legal system will need new chapters to define the social status and behavioral norms of this new 'species'.

4. Reshuffling Social Strata

This might be the most profound and alarming transformation.

A new digital divide: The gap in future society might no longer be about how much money you have, but rather the level of intelligence of the robots you own or can control.
High concentration of capital: Companies or individuals who own and operate large-scale robot 'armies' will command immense productivity and wealth, potentially forming new 'robot oligarchs'. If ordinary people cannot benefit from this development in productivity (e.g., through universal basic income), the wealth gap could widen to an unprecedented degree.
Emergence of a 'useless class'?: This is a more pessimistic prediction. If some people neither master the skills to collaborate with robots nor find their place in creative or emotional work, will they become a 'useless class' with no economic value, forced to rely on social welfare for survival? This would pose significant risks to social stability.

Overall, the social changes brought about by humanoid robots will be a double-edged sword. They can liberate humanity from heavy physical labor, greatly boost productivity, and give us more time to pursue spiritual endeavors. However, at the same time, they will bring unprecedented challenges to our work, emotions, laws, and social equity.

Whether the future leads to a utopia or a dystopia will not depend on the technology itself, but on how we humans design rules, distribute wealth, and redefine our own value.