When You Grow Up, You Might Not Have A Job

 

Masterclass for Emerging Literacies

To discuss the future of work and AI’s impact on jobs.

Key Takeaways

• AI’s Threat to Jobs: AI’s ability to hack human biology (emotions, decisions) and its non-human advantages (connectivity, updatability) threaten even creative and cognitive roles, not just physical ones.

• The “Useless Class”: A new class of people may emerge who are economically redundant, not just from job loss but from a lack of emotional stamina to cope with constant retraining and career volatility.

• The Human Edge: Jobs requiring complex motor skills, empathy (e.g., nursing, caregiving), and dealing with unforeseen scenarios are more resistant to automation.

• New Session Format: The session is now a direct-link meeting with no registration, simplifying access. Recordings and notes are on the My Good School YouTube channel.

Topics

New Session Format

• Access: Direct-link meeting, no registration required.

• Rationale: To simplify access and focus on engagement over data collection.

• Resources:

  • Recordings & Notes: My Good School YouTube channel.

  • Weekly Newsletter: GSI.in.

  • Certificates: Available for ₹3000 via separate registration.

The Future of Work (Chapter 2: 21 Lessons for the 21st Century)

• The Automation Debate:

  • Pessimistic View: Automation will create mass economic redundancy.

  • Optimistic View: Automation will create more jobs, as in past industrial revolutions.

• AI’s New Capabilities:

  • Hacking Humans: AI is learning to understand and manipulate human emotions and decisions by analysing biochemical patterns (facial expressions, voice, body odour).

  • Non-Human Advantages:

    • Connectivity: All AI units can be linked into a single network, enabling perfect coordination and communication.

    • Updatability: The entire network can be updated instantly with new information (e.g., traffic laws, medical research).

• The “Useless Class”:

  • Problem: New AI-related jobs (e.g., data analysts) require high expertise, leaving unskilled workers behind.

  • Analogy: The 19th-century wagon driver became a taxi driver, but the horse was pushed out of the job market entirely.

  • Emotional Toll: Constant retraining and career volatility can lead to a “global epidemic of stress,” creating a class of people lacking the emotional stamina to cope.

Human-AI Collaboration & Competition

• Collaboration: Humans can service and leverage AI, creating new roles (e.g., drone maintenance, data analysis).

• Competition: AI’s rapid learning and creativity are surpassing human capabilities.

  • AlphaZero Example: In 2017, Google’s AlphaZero program learned chess from scratch in 4 hours and defeated Stockfish 8, the world’s computer chess champion.

  • Implication: AI is already demonstrating creativity that judges in human tournaments suspect is computer-generated.

Educational Framework: 4 C’s + 2 C’s

• Traditional 4 C’s: Critical Thinking, Creativity, Collaboration, Communication.

• Proposed 2 C’s: Character and Citizenship.

• Rationale: The 4 C’s are tools for building Character (perseverance, resilience, honesty) and Citizenship (engaging with diverse values for sustainability). Without these foundational qualities, the 4 C’s are ineffective.

Next Steps

• All Participants: Reflect on the key statements shared in the WhatsApp group and post comments.

• All Participants: Review the session recording and notes on the My Good School YouTube channel.

• All Participants: Join the next session on Saturday, August 1, at the bookmark shared in the WhatsApp group.