Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation

This is a book about how to be a human in a world that is increasingly arranged by and for machines. It’s an attempt to persuade you that the key to living a happy, rewarding life in the age of AI and automation is not competing with machines head-on—learning to code, optimizing your life, eliminating all forms of personal inefficiency and waste—bu... See more

Today, most AI is similar to an army of chimps. It’s smart, but not as smart as humans. It can follow directions if it has been properly trained and supervised, but it can be erratic and destructive if it hasn’t. With years of training and development, AI can do superhuman things—like filtering spam out of a billion email inboxes or creating a mill... See more

But as I started reporting more on AI and automation, the message I heard from experts about the modern economy was, essentially, the exact opposite. These experts said that, in a highly automated economy, the most valuable skills and abilities were the ones that could distinguish workers from machines. Rather than treating ourselves as pieces of b... See more

Machines, it turned out, could not offer an adequate substitute for human connection, or give us what we needed to get ahead. And maybe they never will.

“If you find yourself working with, or under the direction of, a smart software system, it’s probably a pretty good bet that—whether you’re aware of it or not—you are also training the software to ultimately replace you.”

What that means, practically speaking, is that jobs that tap into our social desires—bartenders, hair stylists, flight attendants, mental health workers—will be hard to automate. And people who are skilled at creating social and emotional experiences will be better positioned for the future than people whose primary skill is making or doing things ... See more

“People need to understand that current AI—and the AI that we can foresee in the reasonable future—does not, and will not, have a moral sense or moral understanding of what is right and what is wrong,” Bengio said. “It’s crazy to put those decisions into the hands of machines.”

“We call it the Boomer Remover,” he said. “The…Boomer…Remover?” I asked. “Yeah,” he said. “I mean, that’s not the official name. But our clients have way too many old, overpaid middle-managers who aren’t really necessary anymore. Our platform lets them replace those people.”

It’s easy to see how AI could tear us apart. But it’s also easy to see how it could unite us. Technology can force us to study ourselves, and figure out our own strengths and limitations. Machines can foster resilience and creativity, as we come up with new and creative ways to stay ahead. And AI and automation could bring us together, armed with n... See more