Fears and Expectations
Artificial Intelligence (AI) provokes strong reactions. Some people worry about fantastical outcomes—that AI will be taken over by demons, or that superintelligent machines will treat humanity as disposable pets. Others are more pragmatic, fearing mass unemployment and economic instability. The truth likely lies somewhere between extremes: AI will disrupt work, reshape society, and force us to reconsider how humans find meaning in life.
Low-Skill Jobs: Automation at the Front Line
The first wave of disruption is already visible in low-wage, repetitive jobs. Fast-food cashiers are mostly gone, replaced by kiosks. Robots that assemble sandwiches, fry potatoes, and fill drinks are no longer prototypes—they operate in restaurants today. Rising minimum wages, declining immigration, and shrinking interest in “starter” jobs only accelerate this shift.
For many workers, the disappearance of these positions will be painful. Yet history shows that technologies often eliminate jobs no one truly wanted, while creating better-paying work for others.
Knowledge Work and Creative Professions
It is not only manual labor at risk. AI already performs tasks in programming, web design, illustration, video editing, and even writing. Platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork report declines in freelance work. Is this due to economic slowdown, or because AI offers comparable services for free? Probably both.
The long-term concern is the skill ladder. If entry-level programming and design jobs vanish, how will new workers ever gain experience to become senior developers or system architects? People will adapt, but society may need to rethink how talent is trained.
Clerical and Legal Work
Clerical jobs—paperwork, data entry, and other highly formatted tasks—are especially vulnerable. Junior lawyers already lean heavily on AI to draft briefs and contracts. How long before firms conclude they no longer need junior lawyers at all?
This trend suggests that productivity will soar. Tasks once expensive and time-consuming may become nearly free. But efficiency gains raise difficult questions: who benefits, and what happens to those excluded from the new economy?
Social Consequences: Survival and Purpose
For those unable to adapt, governments are experimenting with solutions. Universal Basic Income (UBI) programs in several countries show promise. They provide a safety net, but they do not solve the problem of meaning. A life without financial struggle may still feel empty if people lack direction. Mental health risks—boredom, aimlessness, loss of identity—could be as dangerous as material poverty.
The challenge ahead is not only economic but spiritual. Humans must find roles that provide purpose in a world where machines do the work.
A Human Choice
AI is not destiny—it is a tool. Like past technological revolutions, it will destroy some jobs, create others, and change nearly everything. The transition will be difficult, especially for those caught in disappearing industries. But the greater challenge lies not in survival, but in meaning.
If humanity can learn to channel AI toward enhancing human purpose, the future may be bright. If not, we risk a society that is materially wealthy but spiritually impoverished. The question is not whether AI can figure it out—the question is whether we will.
© October 2025 by Peter V. Radatti