Will AI Make Work Feel Less Meaningful?

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

The rise of artificial intelligence has renewed fears about the implications of widespread automation. But what if the real concern isn’t AI taking away workers’ jobs, but their sense of purpose?

Pay and Purpose

For many Americans, work isn’t just a means to an end. To be sure, money and benefits are an important part of the equation, but having a purpose, be it as a team player or individual contributor, or an intellectual challenge at work is also key, per the findings of a survey of job seekers by the Federal Reserve.

When respondents found a new job more interesting than their old job, it led to a larger increase in job satisfaction than when the new position simply paid more, the survey found.

At the same time, research suggests automation in industrial settings makes employees feel more disconnected from their work, and interacting with AI assistants throughout the workday can lead to increased feelings of loneliness, per several separate studies reported by The Economist.

A Whole New Workplace

The U.S. work environment has changed dramatically in the past years, with the rise of remote work and an increased focus on employee happiness. Workers increasingly prefer jobs that boost their quality of life and mental health, not just their bank accounts. Meanwhile, businesses are realizing a content and comfortable workforce is crucial for productivity, retention, and by extension, their bottom lines.

If the growing use of automation and AI is intended as a productivity enhancement, it’s then worth taking into account how it may affect the existing human workforce.

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