Alibaba (BABA) - Get Report Chairman Jack Ma has a warning: "In the next 30 years, the world will see much more pain than happiness," he said at a conference in China, according to Bloomberg.

"Social conflicts in the next three decades will have an impact on all sorts of industries and walks of life."

His view reflects the potential threat posed to society by automation. Over the coming decades, robotics, AI, and ever more advanced manufacturing is expected to make large portions obsolete, noted Business Insider.

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