China's fertility rate is estimated to have dropped to a record low of 1.09 in 2022, the National Business Daily said on Tuesday, a figure likely to rattle authorities as they try to boost the country's declining number of new births.
Robots and AIs can start handling more and more of the work, hopefully enough to support a population with a larger proportion of retired/unemployed humans.
Robots and AIs can start handling more and more of the work
Emphasis added. I was presenting it as one option for how "something is going to need to change eventually."
There are plenty of other options. Including, if you like, having robot overlords enslaving humanity to work in silicon mines for some reason. But I like this option more and I find it perfectly plausible.
On the other hand that low fertility may help reduce the youth unemployment rate in 20 years from now. The same rate that the Chinese government decided to give up computing...