Is Artificial Intelligence a Threat to Personal Identity? |
It is widely said that artificial intelligence will replace many of our jobs or turn them into something quite different. Anton Korinek, a professor of economics at the University of Virginia, for example, has predicted that AI systems could soon be powerful enough to replace much human labor. Within as few as five years, he warned in 2025, advances in AI could seriously disrupt the economic and social order by assuming many jobs and reducing the wage levels of others.
Beyond the big question of how we will earn money if machines can do things exponentially faster and cheaper than humans can, there are major psychological issues to consider. Separating ourselves from the world of work will not be an easy thing to do, given the social norms associated with having a job and being productive. We may complain about bad bosses, annoying colleagues, and having to wake up to an alarm clock, but work provides structure, gives us a sense of purpose, and makes us feel valued.
A steady stream of research over the years has shown the powerful psychological benefits of work. Dr. Erman Palmore, a professor of medical sociology at Duke University, for example, has found........