Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation

As we fight to shape today’s technological landscape, I think we have a special obligation to fight for the people who stand to lose the most from AI and automation, including historically marginalized communities and people who don’t have much of a safety net. I also think we need to resist the urge to push the AI conversation too far into the fut... See more

One AI expert put it to me this way: if you could write a user’s manual for your job, give it to someone else, and that person could learn to do your job as well as you in a month or less, you’re probably going to be replaced by a machine.

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

AI is better than humans at operating in stable environments, with static, well-defined rules and consistent inputs. On the other hand, humans are much better than AI at handling surprises, filling in gaps, or operating in environments with poorly defined rules or incomplete information.

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.

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

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

But Silicon Valley’s friction fighting has come at a price. Some of it is related to where friction goes, once it has disappeared from a consumer’s phone or computer screen. Often “eliminating friction” in a tech product simply means transferring the burden to a low-paid worker. Amazon’s all-out attempts to reduce customer friction have put additio... See more

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

The pandemic gave companies the cover they needed to make huge, unprecedented strides in automation without risking a backlash. So they automated, and automated, and automated some more. Tyson Foods, the meat producer, brought in robotics experts to develop an automatic deboning system that could help it keep up with demand for chicken and other me... See more