“Robots will take your job’’ is a fascinating look at recent advancements in artificial intelligence. The human race, Scott Santens warns, is unprepared for the inevitable mass unemployment, social and economic instability, and chaos that will follow. He suggests a solution: universal basic income. Essentially, computers will do the work and we will reap the rewards.

Santens’ hopeful suggestion is that “jobs are for machines, and life is for people.’’ But we’ve seen the movies — the machines never agree to that. And we know from history — the stronger species is always at the top of the food chain.

We better hope the machines set aside space for us in a nature preserve.

Karen Oates

Brookline