Well, I agree with publishing metrics being detrimental! On your other points, you're arguing against a strawman. I didn't say anything about life just being a snatch and grab, nor do I hold this belief. But university admissions, job interviews, buying non-plentiful resources...all of these are competitions. Competition permeates the very foundation of our education and financial systems. Many of our greatest virtues as a species are not competition based, but it is a large part of the reality we live in, for better or worse.

And about what happens in a society where constituents have nothing to contribute... I have no idea. But we might find out within a decade or so. The fact that what happens might not all be great is unlikely to stop any of the AI labs.