"Money is a fairly modern invention. Which goes to illustrate that we don’t need money as humans to exist."

"Existing" is that the goal?

That is the new level of attainment?

And, no, there were always those with more power, land, followers, etc... and THAT was their currency.

"The current system seems intractable but just imagine these highly automated societies where everything we need is managed and produced by AI, how do you earn money or you can’t work?"

SOMEONE is going to own the AI. SOMEONE is going to manage it, physically produce it, and they will have means beyond AI control with which to do it.

Mony, power, collective communities will always have a currency. If you are referring to dollar bills, well - fine - but that is really small thinking.

CURRENCY will forever be attainable and desired... except by those who are willing to be excited over "existing". And I don't think that will be a very big constituency except in the big cities where unfortunately that has become the base line.

"So the only way we keep markets and money is artificial scarcity."

Wealth does not depend on scarcity, it depends on a rising level of affluence among the people who want what they are selling. Hong Kong has shown us that wealth and prosperity can be had without undue poverty. And then it was crushed by those who NEED abject poverty and people wishing to simply 'exist' for their basic survival.

Look at the techweenies in SF. There is no scarcity that propels them to half-million dollar positions, there is a need to be filled.

To be sure, there will be a segment of the society that will, for a variety of cultural and societal reasons, will always be at the bottom. Unable to accept the need to better educate and become more than they were, but that poverty does not push the affluent higher. It is a condition that simply exists on the same plane .

No poor person has ever made a rich person.

Many righ people have made poor people far less poor.

And AI will not change that mix at all.