I have absolutely no contempt for the skill. Why would I? But I do recognize that building costs are expensive and that building stuff could be faster and safer and thus think that automation would be good. Same goes for my job, really. Automation has so far been a net good for humanity and if we ever transition to a true post-scarcity society, it will be through automation.

Also, if you speak with people in ML/AI, they will not tell you it's around the corner. They know that physical stuff and robotics in general is hard.

Also, builders and the like often have a great amount of contempt towards any desk job - is that OK? Why?