To give one example the Google Car.
If this car works as advertised millions of jobs will get irreplaceable lost.
Cab drivers / Car Manufactures / Truck driver etc.
Maybe. But others will be created (or made simpler), to wit: a teenager can now rent a google car (since he isn't driving it won't cost much more than an adult) which will enable him to do things like wash peoples windows (which is neither technically difficult nor especially dangerous) thus driving down the cost per window washing, enabling more people to enjoy this luxury.
Or, assuming you are right and delivery men are unemployed in great numbers which I agree is likely, then (as transportation prices plummet) there will be more jobs for packaging. Imagine that instead of having to collect your kids in day care, go shopping and the go home and cook you can instead preorder your groceries, have your Google Car pick up your kids, spend the time talking with them in the car, go to the shop and pick up your package (which will take 10 minutes at most, since you have likely already been charged when you made the order) and then home to cook, which kids you actually get to talk to and who are now a lot less stressed.
Even then self-driving cars will also create other oppertunities, because there is no reason the car has to stay in the lot until you get home. It might as well drive to the nearby car cleaner (which can be out-of the way since the time is essentially free, although the gas used is not) for a cleaning. That is more business (and it is low skilled) and better, nicer cars.
> will enable him to do things like wash peoples windows
Until next year a new type of window will come that doesn't have to be washed.
> there will be more jobs for packaging
There won't. Humans are already being optimized-out of packaging by automated, self-adjusting warehouses and package machines.
> you can instead preorder your groceries
Being produced, packed and delivered by machines.
> It might as well drive to the nearby car cleaner
Which has been automated-out of his work years ago because how this job requires any skills cheap machines don't have right now?
Rest of the things you write about are things people will be able to do instead of working.
The point is, computers are not replacing particular jobs and creating new ones (of similar skill levels). They are replacing whole classes of skills humans have with jobs that have significantly higher requirements and significantly less open positions.
When the car was invented, millions of horse and buggy operators, manufacturers, and horse dung sweepers lost their jobs. Their jobs were then replaced by used car salesmen, mechanics, the tires industry, etc. etc.
But it is a bit presumptuous to believe that all future inventions will destroy jobs. A great example of the reverse is the compiler industry.
As compiler technology / programming languages have become easier and easier... smaller and smaller teams of programmers have been able to get more things done. This hasn't destroyed programmers... it has instead increased the demand of programmers.
> This hasn't destroyed programmers... it has instead increased the demand of programmers.
Nor has invention of internal combustion engine decreased the demand for cars. Programming today is far from its full potential, just like transportation was 100 years ago. Software is a very young technology and it is just beginning to take over the world, but keep in mind that developing it is a) high-skill job, and b) mostly aimed toward automating other people out of their jobs.
