The Duplicator: Instant cloning would make the world economy explode

Abstract

The Duplicator, a fictional machine from Calvin and Hobbes, can instantly and cheaply produce copies of people. If such a technology were available in real life, it would increase productivity and thus economic output. A combination of population growth and positive feedback would lead to exponential economic expansion. The article argues that the Duplicator could bring back the accelerating growth seen in pre-demographic-transition times, after which growth became constant. The same effect could be caused by digital people, simulated entities with personalities, goals, and capabilities similar to those of humans. – AI-generated abstract.