There have been a few attempts to kill Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. We shouldn’t be surprised if the attacks keep coming. But we shouldn’t be resigned to them either.
The news is circulating that AI has begun to replace a high percentage of jobs, particularly the jobs done by drivers, manufacturers, call center workers, and recent college graduates. Not surprisingly, the popularity of the AI tech bros has plummeted as their data centers not only plunder the water and electricity of vulnerable communities, but they exercise unfathomable influence over our political system while enriching themselves on the prospect of endangering the future of mankind. It’s no wonder that their actual lives are under threat and that they are hiring extra security and building bunkers to protect themselves. Violence against them isn’t the answer. But demanding regulatory guardrails and preparing new generations for a society with AI in our lives is.
I’ve heard rumblings that a college education will no longer be worth the financial and four- year time investment if there is no job at the end of it. I disagree. College has never been just about a job. In fact, most people don’t end up doing a job directly related to their undergraduate major. It’s common for an English or history or philosophy major to become a journalist or lawyer. My undergraduate degree was in business, but after a few years in finance, I ended up getting a master’s in counseling and a doctorate in education and spending the bulk of my career in higher education.
College is about learning how to learn, how to take on leadership roles, and how to collaborate with others. College is about learning how to think critically by broadening one’s worldview through reading and relationships, taking on challenging subjects, and conducting scholarly research. It is about self-discovery, developing self-sufficiency, overcoming obstacles, and being given the opportunity to learn about people who are different. Above all else, college is a place where connections are made and character is built through struggle, problem solving, ethical dilemmas, and some degree of risk taking and failure. Tolerance and understanding of the broad spectrum of the human condition are built. These are valuable outcomes that benefit society.
However, the cost structure for college will need to change quickly and so will some of the majors. The days of student loans must end when the absence of jobs makes repayment impossible. College must become nearly free to attract enough potential students who will in turn support the health of our society. They will need to turn out fewer computer science majors and more cyber security experts. Current computer science majors are having a difficult time finding jobs because AI agents are now doing most of the coding. Current engineering, graphic design and architecture majors may also have a difficult time finding work. Even business analysis is being done by AI agents, and the support tasks of paralegals and new law school graduates are being done by AI agents. AI agents are becoming personal administrative assistants and receptionists. In short, the kinds of jobs that can and should be preserved are those that require touch, empathy, and actual human interaction.
I don’t think most people will welcome robot teachers who lack the warmth, caring, and humor of an actual human teacher. Children need touch to thrive, and a robot teacher lacks the capacity to deliver that. I predict that the future of likable and highly relatable nurses, medical doctors, counselors, teachers, physical therapists, live performers, artisans and athletes are secure for the foreseeable future. Even human service providers like cooks, nannies, servers, plumbers, hairdressers, manicurists, coaches, barbers, massage therapists, babysitters, and housekeepers will be preferrable to robots for most. I might be okay with robots for policing if programmers can successfully eliminate bias, power trips and ego. Even firefighting and air travel could become safer with robots taking the lead on some aspects of the jobs involved. I’m okay with AI agents predicting the weather and figuring out complex scientific problems. I’m also okay with AI agents diagnosing medical conditions and recommending treatment, but I will continue to want to talk to a flesh and blood doctor to monitor my progress and to deliver my grandbabies. As social beings, the human touch has tremendous value and those who lean into that reality will succeed in the age of AI.
I think that those who start businesses that cater to providing human touch and human interactions will also do well. I predict an increased need for socializing at coffee shops, bars, travel groups, amateur athletic teams, and social clubs as workers are displaced and they covet the social interaction they used to get at work. Hobbies, vlogging, writing, crafting, and even gardening will become a form of self-employment. Movie theatres, live theatrical performances, comedy shows, circus-like acrobatic shows, sports competitions, and concerts will grow in popularity. Live human performers will be in high demand and paid well for their work. Works of art in music, storytelling, and the visual arts done by humans will rise in value. As AI slop proliferates, there will be an increased need for people to certify the authenticity of a “human made” work.
With so many workers displaced by AI, the need for universal income and healthcare becomes all the more apparent. People still have bills to pay and an economy to support. Even corporations know that they need customers who can afford to buy their products. Andrew Yang was ahead of his time when he called for universal basic income. Additionally, the tax system will need to be revamped. I predict that corporations and businesses will be taxed on their profits and AI agents output since many people will no longer have an actual income to tax. The need to fund education, roads and bridges, healthcare, and to recover from natural disasters doesn’t disappear with our jobs. If AI is done right, the need for national security and soldiers will cease to exist as warfare becomes too much of a risk to humanity.
We are being confronted with a whole new world. Some want to stop it in its tracks. Others want to realize the best benefits it can offer humanity. No one wants to experience the chaos and danger an unchecked AI industry can inflict on humanity. It is up to us to push our representatives to address the issues head on and to begin to make needed adjustments and regulations before revolution and violence against tech bros and political leaders become the only option more young people can envision.