Everyone’s abuzz these days with talk about the future of AI and human productivity. Whether you’re managing a team or part of one yourself — or even if you’re just into cool new tech — you’ve probably seen stories on how artificial intelligence might change everything from job roles to daily life activities.
This brings up a big question: What does this mean for our work life and society in general?
Will advances in AI lead to higher productivity across sectors or cause significant job displacement?
Let’s explore the six stages of AI and how artificial intelligence is altering jobs today and in the future.
Table Of Contents:
- The Six Stages of AI Development
- The Economic Impact of AI: Cheaper, Faster, Better
- The Future of Work: Job Displacement and Universal Basic Income
- Rediscovering Human Meaning Beyond Work and Productivity
- How to Prepare for a Post-AGI World
The Six Stages of AI Development
There are six stages in the journey to ultimate AI, a.k.a. AGI.
Stage 1: Early Automation
Artificial intelligence started around 2010 when machines began taking over tasks like data entry, simple calculations, and routine processes.
Anyone fresh out of college taking data entry jobs was made obsolete because AI replaced them.
Roles like clerks and typists were wiped out.
Stage 2: Context-Aware AI
A decade later, Siri and Google Assistant came out, which led to basic low-level customer service jobs becoming automated.
Stage 3: Domain-Specific AI Expertise
In 2016, the computer program AlphaGo beat top Go player Lee Sedol.
Here’s what Sam Altman said about AI affecting the entertainment industry:
“There were a lot of predictions that chess was totally done, that no one was going to bother to play chess anymore. It was just no longer interesting.
But I believe chess has never been more popular than it is today. We don’t watch AIs play each other. What we’re really interested in is what humans can do in this case.”
Stage 4: Narrow AI with Creative and Reasoning Abilities
This is the stage we are rapidly going through right now.
AI has evolved to create art, write stories, and even develop code and software.
It’s producing content with remarkable speed, efficiency, and quality.
Writers, artists, and videographers are feeling the impact of AI on their work and their jobs have become redundant.
Copywriters are starting to lose their jobs.
In 2021, I sold my writing agency and completely got out of it before GPT-3 was released, culminating with the arrival of ChatGPT in the fall of 2022.
ChatGPT revolutionized how we interact with AI. Freelancers, creatives, and workers around the world are going to feel the impact as narrow AI with creative and reasoning abilities gets better and better.
Stage 5: Arrival of AGI
The last two stages are the ones we are headed towards.
This is when artificial general intelligence will meet and exceed all human abilities. It can perform complex tasks, design innovative solutions, and create emotionally engaging content.
Now think about what Sam Altman said about chess. What will humans want?
Even if AI can become a top content creator on YouTube, will you want to watch something that is fully AI-generated or will you want to watch and relate to a real human like me?
When I watch YouTube videos, it’s real people I follow, real people I listen to.
Even in a world post-AGI, we will have more time to talk, watch and learn. It’s not just as fun watching a robot.
When AGI happens, every job role from engineering to design, science, the arts, and entertainment will be profoundly affected.
Widespread job displacement will lead to the creation of UBI, a social welfare created by governments to give people the means to live with AI.
What this opens up for us humans is a door to finding our true meaning — a meaning we have lost since the days of the Industrial Revolution. No longer will we have to work for a paycheck, which is very stressful.
Stage 6: Post-AGI Society
The last stage will be an era of plentitude and abundance where traditional jobs are gone and work that humans actually want to do will get reintroduced to help us avoid idleness and continue to find meaning.
Industries will be managed and led by AI, and we will be working in them but not based on stress or productivity, because AI can do all of that so much better than us.
This will bring productivity and purpose to humans but without the burnout
The Economic Impact of AI: Cheaper, Faster, Better
Let’s talk dollars and cents. The cold, hard truth is that AI, automation, and robotics are cheaper, faster, and often better than human labor. And they’re not just coming for factory jobs – they’re poised to disrupt every industry under the sun, leading to widespread job displacement.
But before you start stockpiling canned goods and building a bunker, hear me out. Yes, there will be job losses. Yes, it will be painful for many. But there’s also a silver lining in the form of rising incomes and productivity gains.
The Era of Abundance: Meeting Basic Human Needs
Imagine a world where AI takes care of our basic needs – food, shelter, healthcare, education. A world where scarcity is a thing of the past, and everyone has access to the essentials of life.
Sound too good to be true? Not according to futurists like Peter Diamandis.
Picture a world where nobody goes hungry or lacks shelter; even diseases that can be prevented are wiped out.
That’s what Diamandis envisions — a bold era driven by the advances in AI tools and enhanced productivity from these technologies.
The Drastic Reduction in Cost of Living
The benefits don’t stop there. Not only can AI help meet essential needs but it can also bring down the cost of daily life dramatically.
Leveraging new tech advancements along with significant boosts in efficiency from AI-driven productivity growth, we may soon see our budgets stretching further than ever before.
Futurist Gil Verdon predicts that AI could lower the cost of living by a staggering 90%.
Imagine being able to afford a comfortable lifestyle on a fraction of your current income.
Sounds like a dream, but it could soon be our reality.
The Future of Work: Job Displacement and Universal Basic Income
“Will robots replace me at work?”
It’s normal to feel uneasy about this. We have good reason for concern because it can lead to widespread job losses in various sectors.
A lot of jobs will be automated soon — that’s simply where things are headed.
From truck drivers to radiologists, no job is safe.
Yet it’s not all bad news; AI can boost economic growth and lead to higher incomes too.
According to many specialists, artificial intelligence has the potential to create brand-new jobs and entire industries we can’t currently fathom.
Think back on how the Industrial Revolution created positions for engineers and factory supervisors. Similarly, today’s rise of AI could bring forth innovative fields with plenty of opportunity.
But let’s be real – the transition won’t be easy. That’s why many are calling for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) to help cushion the blow of job displacement.
The idea is simple: give everyone a basic income to cover their essential needs, regardless of whether they work or not.
This concept may seem bold at first, yet it’s catching on with both tech experts and lawmakers.
If AI ends up replacing us in the workplace, isn’t it fair that we share in its financial benefits?
Rediscovering Human Meaning Beyond Work and Productivity
But perhaps the greatest gift that AI could give us is the chance to redefine what it means to be human.
For centuries, we’ve tied our worth and identity to our work and productivity. But what happens when machines can do everything better, faster, and cheaper than we can?
Think about being part of a society where pursuing what you love is the norm — exploring innovative ideas or connecting on profound levels would become everyday experiences rather than exceptions to the rule.
No longer just cogs spinning away mindlessly.
Imagine AI allowing us to rediscover our human side by providing more than just efficiency. With its help, we could have extra moments for family bonds, community service, and following passions that make life worthwhile.
How to Prepare for a Post-AGI World
So what can we do to prepare for this new society?
The first step is to stay informed. Keep up with the latest developments in AI and automation, and think critically about how they might impact your life and work.
Rather than just soaking up facts, participate actively by asking probing questions and questioning old ideas.
We have to keep learning and stay flexible. The skills that worked for us before might not cut it in a future dominated by AI. We should constantly update what we know, get familiar with new tech, and be ready for fresh ways of working and living.
The future of AI is an exciting and sometimes scary prospect. On one hand, AI has the potential to make our lives easier, more efficient, and more fulfilling. It could free us from tedious and repetitive tasks, allowing us to focus on the things that really matter to us.
On the other hand, a lot of folks have real concerns about losing jobs, keeping our data private, and dealing with unintended results from machine-made choices. Addressing these problems early on will help spread out AI’s benefits more evenly.
How productive we’ll be with AI in the future depends on what we do right now. It’s within our grasp to mold this technology so that it’s beneficial for everyone involved. Keeping ourselves educated, fostering transparent conversations, and cooperating can lead us towards an era where humans and AI flourish together.
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