Embracing a More Human Future

How reclaiming leisure, reshaping economies, and renewing human skills can turn AI disruption into abundant renewal.

I’ll admit, when I first heard predictions that nearly two-thirds of white-collar jobs could vanish in the next 3–5 years due to AI, I dismissed it as another hype-cycle. As a tech professional, I’ve always taken pride in how our innovations drive progress. But this forecast felt different – more dismissive to human intelligence. It wasn’t just about jobs disappearing; it was about people’s identities, communities, and sense of purpose being upended virtually overnight. As I continued to deepen my understanding of AI and it’s ramifications, though, I felt a strange clarity. If this level of disruption is truly on the horizon, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rethink why we work and how we organize society around human dignity, rather than just productivity. In this personal musing, I want to share my vision – addressed to fellow tech leaders and professionals – on how we might prepare creatively and entrepreneurially for the AI upheaval. My hope is that we can approach this change not with alarm, but with a constructive, even visionary spirit rooted in human dignity and opportunity.

Before diving in, let me be clear: this isn’t a doomsday prophecy or a Luddite screed against technology. Far from it. I remain a tech optimist at heart. This is a call to prepare – culturally, economically, and individually – for a world where “what you do for a living” might look radically different, but where who you are and what you contribute can become richer than ever. In pondering this, I’ve found guidance in unlikely places: the philosophy of Josef Pieper on leisure, the spiritual insights of St. Josemaría Escrivá about finding the divine in daily work, and the principles of Catholic social teaching (vocation, subsidiarity, solidarity, the inherent dignity of each person). But by now, I’m sure my readers are not surprised by these sources.

So, how do we prepare for a future where AI automates away so many traditional jobs? I propose we focus on three levels: cultural preparation (reshaping our mindsets and communities), economic preparation (building new safety nets and models for a changing economy), and individual preparation (cultivating the uniquely human qualities and resilience that no machine can replicate). Let’s explore each in turn.

Cultural Preparation: Identity, Leisure, and Community

Beyond Job Titles – Reframing Identity and Worth

One of the hardest cultural shifts will be letting go of the notion that our job title equals our identity. Think about how we usually introduce ourselves at networking events or even social gatherings – “I’m a software engineer at X,” “I’m a marketing manager at Y.” For many of us, our self-worth and social status have become tightly entwined with our profession. What happens if that profession vanishes? Will we feel like we’ve vanished?

I’ve had to wrestle with this myself. If tomorrow I’m no longer “Product Manager at TechCorp” but just… me, am I comfortable with that? It’s prompted me to revisit a powerful question posed by philosopher Josef Pieper back in 1948: “Can the human being be satisfied with being a functionary, a ‘worker’? Can human existence be fulfilled in being exclusively a work-a-day existence?” His implied answer is no – we are more than workers, no matter how much our modern culture tells us otherwise. The truth is that “making a living” is not the same as having a life. Our value doesn’t evaporate when a particular role is automated away.

What would it look like to truly internalize that? For one, it means actively dis-identifying from our jobs and re-identifying with our deeper human qualities and relationships. Social philosopher Andrew Taggart suggests adopting a simple mental mantra: “Whoever I truly am, I am not what I do for a living… I am not my work.” This isn’t a call to stop working hard or caring about craft – it’s a call to remember that work is a means, not an end in itself. St. Josemaría Escrivá, a Catholic priest who preached the sanctity of ordinary work, warned against turning professional success into a false idol: “Put your professional interests in their place: they are only means to an end; they can never be regarded – in any way – as if they were the basic thing.” In a post-disruption world, we’ll need to ground our identity in things more lasting than a job title – character, faith, family, community, creative pursuits – so that when the role changes, the person remains whole.

Recovering Leisure – More Than “Free Time”

“To be ‘at leisure’ is one of the basic powers of the human soul.” This insight from Josef Pieper feels almost countercultural in an age that worships busyness. We’ve been conditioned to equate idle time with wasted time, but as AI begins to handle more of the grind, we have a chance to rediscover leisure in its deepest sense – not mere inactivity, but the foundation of culture and creativity. Pieper famously wrote that leisure is “the power to step beyond the working world” and reconnect with the “life-giving forces” that renew our spirit. Think of history’s greatest art, philosophy, and even scientific breakthroughs – so many originated in moments of unhurried contemplation and play.

Yet today, many of us have lost touch with the art of genuine leisure. Even when given moments to pause, we fill them anxiously, always sensing there’s another email waiting or another task lurking. Josef Pieper warned that we risk becoming a society of “total work,” where rest itself is justified only if it improves productivity. But with millions of jobs soon to vanish, it’s crucial we rediscover leisure—not simply as time off, but as a deeply human practice vital for meaning-making. Wendell Berry reminds us that true leisure reconnects us to community, place, and nature, restoring our souls rather than just refueling our productivity. Aristotle, centuries earlier, argued similarly that leisure—scholē—is the very foundation of human flourishing, enabling contemplation, friendship, and the cultivation of wisdom. We stand now at a threshold where abundant leisure might finally become reality; our task is to embrace it thoughtfully, culturally, and spiritually, transforming what could be an emptiness into a source of profound human enrichment.

Rebuilding Community and Solidarity

A related cultural task is rebuilding our fraying community bonds. Work has not only given people paychecks; it has given many a sense of belonging – the office as a social network, the profession as a tribe. Remove the traditional job, and we risk deeper social isolation in a society already plagued by loneliness. Even before the recent AI boom or the pandemic, about half of U.S. adults reported experiencing measurable levels of loneliness. And younger generations are paradoxically even more isolated – 15- to 24-year-olds in 2021 were spending 70% less time with friends in person than the same age group just two decades prior. In a world where more people might be “remote” or displaced from former workplaces, the last thing we need is further atomization.

We can’t talk about human dignity without talking about our need for community. If AI disruption forces us to shorten the workweek or if people find themselves between gigs more often, let’s channel that into renewed social connection. We might see a renaissance of community centers, clubs, meetup groups, faith-based gatherings, neighborhood cooperatives – spaces where people can contribute, belong, and be seen as persons, not just as workers. I’m thoroughly supportive of US Chamber of Connection’s work in this area as an intentional, thoughtful model. It’s going to require concerted effort (it’s often easier to Netflix and scroll Twitter than to engage with neighbors), but the payoff is huge: stronger social fabric and mutual support in turbulent times.

In Catholic social teaching, there’s the beautiful principle of solidarity, which essentially means recognizing that we’re all in this together and actively supporting one another. Pope John Paul II described solidarity as not just vague compassion, but “a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good… because we are all really responsible for all.” This attitude, I believe, must infuse the culture of the tech world especially. Imagine if tech companies and professionals saw themselves not just as market players, but as community builders helping displaced workers find new roles, or sponsoring local gatherings to teach AI literacy in the pursuit of this potential era of abundance. In a post-AI-disruption era, reweaving our communities is not a luxury – it’s a survival imperative. Humans find meaning through each other; no algorithm can fill a void of belonging.

On a practical note, rebuilding community could mean something as simple as starting a weekly dinner with friends and neighbors (no “networking” agenda, just human connection), or as ambitious as organizing town halls to discuss local entrepreneurship (more on that soon). The key is that we proactively cultivate solidarity. If two-thirds of traditional jobs truly disappear, we will either splinter into an army of isolated individuals – or we will come together in new ways to lift each other up. Let’s choose the latter, and treat this disruption as an invitation to deepen our care for one another.

Economic Preparation: New Safety Nets and New Models

A New Social Contract – Universal Portable Benefits

Our economic systems were largely built around the model of stable, full-time jobs with employers providing benefits. That model is already cracking – think of the gig economy, freelancers, contractors – and it may well shatter if AI acceleration leads to a more project-based, intermittent work landscape for many. It’s telling that analysts project over half of the U.S. workforce will be freelancing by 2027. Yet our safety nets (health insurance, retirement plans, unemployment insurance, etc.) are still mostly tied to traditional employment. This is unsustainable. To navigate the coming storm, we need to decouple basic benefits from jobs and make them portable and universal.

What do I mean by universal portable benefits? Essentially, it’s a guarantee that every worker has a core set of supports, no matter who their employer is (or even if they’re between gigs). These would travel with you throughout your career. A worker in this model isn’t at risk of losing healthcare, a retirement fund, or paid leave the moment they change jobs or get laid off. As one policy group succinctly defines it: “Universal portable benefits offer a guaranteed set of supports to all workers, no matter who their employer is… access is available to all, whether they’re full-time, contract, part-time, or seasonal.” When automation can disrupt entire occupations overnight, people need the confidence that their basic needs and security aren’t yanked away along with their job.

Practically, this might look like a public or publicly-regulated fund that every employer (or individual, or the government via taxes) pays into, which covers things like health insurance, disability, family leave, and retirement savings that belong to the worker outright. Some have compared certain aspects to proposals like universal basic income, but portable benefits are a bit different – they’re about shoring up the foundation (health, income stability, retraining support), so people can transition and reinvent themselves without falling into ruin. It’s a modern social contract for a more fluid economy. And yes, it will require heavy lifting in the policy arena and likely public-private collaboration. But if tech is going to displace workers at scale, we in tech bear a responsibility to advocate for and contribute to these solutions. As tech leaders, we can’t just say “not my department” – we have to be part of crafting this safety net for the new world.

Massive Reskilling – Focusing on Human-Centered Work

Economic preparation must also give people pathways to new and meaningful work. History shows that technological revolutions eventually create new jobs even as they destroy old ones – but those new jobs will require different skills. We need an aggressive commitment – from industry and government alike – to reskilling and upskilling programs on a scale perhaps never seen before. The focus should be on areas where humans will continue to have an edge or where human touch is indispensable: for example, creative fields, caregiving and healthcare, education, complex problem-solving, and any roles involving high social-emotional intelligence. Crucially too, where we can take these new found technological tools to their creative heights. What was impossible that is now merely difficult?

I find optimism in the idea that as AI handles more rote tasks, human work can become more human. One city government report noted that many jobs at risk of automation could have “pathways… to less automatable, more human-centered work” with the right training. In other words, we can channel people from vanishing roles into emerging ones that play to uniquely human strengths. But this won’t happen by itself. It will take coordinated efforts: incentives for companies to train workers instead of laying them off, public investment in education (think free or subsidized mid-career training programs, online courses, apprenticeships in new tech or care sectors), and guidance for workers to navigate career pivots.

Encouragingly, we’re hearing more about this. Even voices in the corporate world emphasize “a stronger focus on soft skills in the workforce, up-skilling people for the jobs of tomorrow”. And I’ve seen tech CEOs shift from talking about headcount reduction to talking about internal mobility – moving people into new roles alongside AI, rather than out the door. LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman suggests the question shouldn’t be “Which jobs will AI take?” but “How can we make sure everyone knows how to amplify their own work with AI?”. He argues that when used wisely, AI can boost human productivity such that a team achieves 4x results – and in that case, why cut the team in half instead of doubling your ambitions? It’s a compelling point: the goal should be augmentation and deeper problem appetite, not mere automation. But to get there, workers at all levels will need new skills and mindsets.

For example, an accountant whose routine number-crunching gets automated might need training to become more of a financial analyst or strategic advisor (letting the AI handle the tedious parts while they focus on creative problem-solving with clients). A marketing copywriter displaced by generative AI might shift into a role of editor and curator of AI-generated content, combined with higher-level brand strategy work that AI can’t intuit. Nurses and teachers – professions unlikely to be fully automated – could get additional training to leverage AI tools, so they spend less time on paperwork and more time caring for patients and students. These are the kinds of human-centered roles that not only remain, but become more prominent in an AI-rich world.

The bottom line is, we need to fund and scale lifelong learning. This could mean employers offering continuous education stipends, government retraining vouchers, or even something like a “Skills GI Bill” for those whose industries shrink (much like soldiers got education benefits after WWII). The return on investment will be a workforce that isn’t obsolete but rather redeployed to areas where human genius is irreplaceable. It’s not just the workers who benefit – society as a whole gains when more people are doing work that is both needed and fulfilling, rather than being cast aside.

Entrepreneurship and Subsidiarity – Local, Bottom-Up Economic Models

The future of work doesn’t have to be dominated by a few big tech firms doling out AI-generated wealth via gig scraps. We have a chance to foster a more decentralized, entrepreneurial economy, where value is created closer to communities and by communities. Here I find inspiration in the Catholic social principle of subsidiarity, which in secular terms basically means pushing decision-making and action to the lowest feasible level – empowering individuals and local groups rather than centralizing everything. In the classic phrasing of Pope Pius XI: it’s a “grave evil and disturbance of right order to transfer to a larger and higher collectivity functions which can be performed by lesser and subordinate bodies.” In plain talk: let people handle things in their own communities when they’re capable of it.

What would an economic application of subsidiarity look like in the AI age? Potentially, a renaissance of local entrepreneurship, cooperatives, and distributed work models. If a giant corporation can now do with 10 people (and a suite of AI tools) what once took 100, maybe those other 90 don’t all just vanish into unemployment – maybe some of them regroup to start their own niche businesses, serving needs that big companies overlook. We might see more worker cooperatives where people collectively own and run a business (for instance, a cooperative of local journalists using AI research tools to operate a community news service after the big newspaper chain lays off staff). Or imagine more small manufacturing or maker spaces powered by AI-driven design and local 3D printing – production could relocalize for certain goods. The technology that disrupts big firms can also empower small teams and solo entrepreneurs in unprecedented ways.

However, to unlock this, we need to invest in the ecosystem that supports small-scale enterprises. Access to capital is key – perhaps new models like community investment funds or crowdfunding for displaced workers to start businesses. Training in entrepreneurship should be part of those reskilling programs. Local governments can play a role by creating innovation hubs and business incubators, as some forward-thinking cities already do. In fact, research has found that cities with a diverse mix of industries and a commitment to skills-matching their residents to local employer needs fare the best in times of economic change. Places like Boston, Richmond, and Minneapolis have been highlighted for investing in such diversity and education. That’s subsidiarity in action – communities taking charge of their own economic destiny, rather than betting it all on attracting a single big employer or waiting for federal rescue after jobs disappear.

Another aspect of subsidiarity is policy decentralization – encouraging experiments at the city or state level. We might see, for example, one region implement a local universal basic income pilot funded by taxes on AI productivity gains, while another region opts for subsidized public employment in community development projects. Let there be multiple laboratories, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach. Over time, the successful models can be scaled out. The common thread is ensuring that people have avenues to create value in ways that respect their dignity and agency.

I’m not naïve; even a thriving small business sector won’t replace every lost corporate job one-for-one. But it can mitigate the concentration of wealth and power, and give more people a stake in shaping their economic life. It also ties back to community: a local business is not just an income source, it’s part of the social fabric. When you own or work at the neighborhood bakery or AI-driven repair shop, you’re invested in your town. That builds solidarity and resilience.

In sum, a human-centered economy post-AI disruption will require us to modernize our safety nets (portable benefits), mobilize massive education efforts (reskilling), and encourage bottom-up innovation (entrepreneurship and subsidiarity). None of this is easy, but the alternative is to let millions of people drift, which in addition to being inhumane would also sap the economy of demand and stability. We have the resources and ingenuity to ensure everyone can share in the prosperity AI brings – but it will take intention and collaboration across public and private spheres. Technology may be advancing automatically, but a just economy is something we must choose to build.

Individual Preparation: Human Skills, Spiritual Depth, and Resilience

Finally, let’s talk about what each of us, as individual professionals and leaders, can do to prepare ourselves personally. Cultural and economic shifts are crucial, but they can feel abstract unless we internalize the changes in our own attitudes and habits. I’ve been reflecting a lot on how to become the kind of person who not only survives the coming disruption, but flourishes in it – and helps others do the same. Three areas stand out: developing uniquely human skills, infusing our work (whatever it may be) with spiritual and ethical intentionality, and diversifying our skills and income for resilience.

Cultivating Irreplaceably Human Skills (Creativity, Empathy, Judgement)

We’ve all heard the mantra: “Soft skills” are the new hard skills. Well, now is the time to double down on them. In a world where AI can instantly crunch numbers, write code, draft documents, and even create visuals, the competitive advantage (and frankly the comparative advantage of humanity as a whole) will lie in things machines can’t do well. That includes creativity in the truest sense – coming up with fresh ideas, original strategies, imaginative designs. It includes empathy and emotional intelligence – understanding nuanced human needs, providing comfort, building relationships of trust. And it includes moral discernment and big-picture judgement – seeing the context, asking the right questions, making ethical decisions. These qualities are hard for AI because they’re not just about processing data; they arise from consciousness, lived experience, and values.

The good news is that these are deeply human qualities that we can nurture. The bad news is traditional education and corporate training often undervalued them in favor of technical expertise. That has to change. As individuals, we can start by actively exercising these “muscles.” If you’re in a technical role, maybe take a course (or a self-taught project) in a creative field that intrigues you – practice thinking divergently. If you’re not a people-oriented person by default, challenge yourself to improve – read up on active listening, get involved in a mentoring program to practice empathy, or expose yourself to diverse teams and cultures to stretch your interpersonal skills. Embrace situations that AI can’t handle well: those requiring ambiguity, persuasion, or deep human connection. Volunteer as a coach or tutor – you’ll be forced to really tune in to others. Travel (if you can) or at least consume art and literature that broaden your emotional and cultural understanding. These things might feel “extra,” but they are investments in keeping yourself relevant and adaptable.

In the workplace, this might also mean shifting your role gradually. For example, if you’re a data analyst who spends most days building reports (something an AI can automate), focus on developing your ability to interpret those reports in the context of business goals – become the person who can translate data into a narrative and advise leadership (the human bridge between raw info and decision). Or if you’re in customer service, perhaps lean into the complex cases where empathy and creative problem-solving are key, and let automated systems handle the straightforward FAQs. Constantly ask: What can I do that adds value beyond what an algorithm could do in my place? Then work to amplify that.

It’s worth noting that not all future roles are high-skill, techy roles – far from it. There will likely be growing demand in caring professions (nurses, therapists, elder care, child care), because ironically the more high-tech society becomes, the more people will crave genuine human care. Those jobs heavily rely on empathy and human touch. They may not pay as richly (something we ought to address as a society), but they will be crucial. And they can be deeply fulfilling. So when I say develop human skills, I also mean don’t look down on careers that are “human-centric” rather than “tech-centric.” In fact, those may be among the safest and most future-proof paths. A robot might assist a nurse, but it won’t replace the comfort of a nurse’s presence. An AI tutor might deliver math drills, but it can’t inspire a child in the same way a great teacher can. Keep an open mind that your own next chapter might involve pivoting into an area that at first seems far afield from your current career – and that’s okay. If it leverages your uniquely human capacities and gives you joy, it’s a worthy path.

Work as Vocation – Bringing Spiritual Intentionality into What We Do

When disruption hits, it’s easy to feel like a victim or a pawn of larger forces. One powerful antidote is to cultivate a sense of vocation about your life’s work. Vocation in the classic sense means a calling – it’s the idea that each person has a God-given mission or purpose that can be lived out through our work (paid or unpaid). This doesn’t necessarily mean one specific job for life; rather, it means approaching whatever work you do with intentionality, love, and a desire to contribute to something beyond yourself.

I’ll share personally: reflecting on the concept of vocation changed how I view my career. Instead of asking “What job will secure my livelihood in five years?” I started asking “What am I uniquely called to give to the world, and how can I express that, whether or not it fits a traditional job description?” It’s a liberating mindset. It means that even if my current job were automated tomorrow, my vocation would still endure – I would just find a new outlet for it. Catholic teaching has a beautiful way of putting this: “Work is for man, not man for work.” Our worth isn’t that we serve the economy; it’s that through our work (in all its forms) we become more fully the person we’re meant to be. In fact, it says work is a vocation, a calling by God, and through it human beings fulfill their nature. In other words, your job might change, but your deeper calling – to develop your talents, to serve others, to glorify the good – that remains, and it can take a million forms.

So how do we bring this intentional, even spiritual, approach into daily work? One practical way is what St. Josemaría Escrivá advised: make your work a form of prayer. By this he meant offer whatever task you’re doing – no matter how mundane – to a higher purpose, do it with love, and it becomes sanctified. “Add a supernatural motive to your ordinary work and you will have sanctified it,” he wrote. If you’re coding, you might mentally dedicate that effort to helping the end-users who will benefit. If you’re managing a team, you focus on serving and uplifting your team members, not just getting results. This attitude doesn’t require any public display; it’s an inner orientation. And it has a way of infusing even tedious days with meaning. I’m reminded of this interview answer I heard from investor Rick Buhrman

INTERVIEWER: What is the kindest thing that anyone's ever done for you?
​
BUHRMAN: ... our oldest son, Theo, who just turned seven, spent the first six months of his life in several NICUs. He was eventually helicoptered to Indianapolis at Riley Hospital for Children. And while we were living in that NICU for almost a half a year we saw a lot of kids who passed away. Most of those kids were not as sick as Theo was.

I don’t know exactly why Theo survived, but I know that a major part of how he survived was because for several decades leading up to that moment, numerous nurses, nurse practitioners, respiratory therapists, doctors, surgeons had committed themselves wholeheartedly to mastering their craft. I can give you tons and tons of examples of these people. And I know that in the moment, it wasn’t necessarily viewed as kindness.

But maybe in some sense, the kindest thing that all of us can do is to pursue something radically that in some way is in service to others, because you just don't know how it's going to change the trajectory of human life. And so for all of those medical practitioners, none of whom I'm sure are listening to this, I owe everything to, because they gave me the gift of being Theo's dad.

In a future where job roles might be fluid or temporary, having this inner compass of vocation can prevent the drift into nihilism. You might find yourself doing a stint of gig work or a side hustle far from your original career – maybe you’re an ex-accountant now driving a community rideshare or growing food in an urban farm – but if you approach it with the mindset of “I will do this as excellently and generously as I can, and I will learn what I’m meant to learn from it,” it won’t feel “beneath you.” In fact, it could be transformative. Sometimes a drastic change is what awakens talents or desires we didn’t know we had. I think of the many stories from 2020 when people furloughed from corporate jobs discovered they loved things like baking bread or woodworking and turned those into livelihoods. That’s vocation at work too – listening to the cues of what gives you joy and serves others, even if it wasn’t part of your plan.

For those of us in leadership, bringing a sense of vocation means we also encourage it in others. Instead of treating employees as cogs, we can mentor them to grow and find meaning in their contributions. Instead of obsessing over quarterly numbers alone, we can ask how our products serve the common good. We can uphold the dignity of every stakeholder – employees, customers, even future generations. This is where the spiritual meets the practical. As the late Pope Francis and others have emphasized, every economic decision is ultimately a moral decision, whether we admit it or not. So framing the AI disruption as an invitation to re-center work on human dignity and divine purpose isn’t just feel-good talk; it can guide very concrete choices that leaders make daily.

Diversifying Skills and Income – Personal Resilience in Practice

On a very practical level, individual preparation also means hedging against uncertainty. If two-thirds of jobs (or tasks) are truly at risk, it would be wise not to put all your eggs in one basket. This is the classic advice to develop multiple skills and, where possible, multiple income streams. It’s something freelancers know well – and as we saw, half the workforce might be freelancing in a few years. Even if you’re comfortably employed now, consider future-proofing yourself by broadening what you can do. Think of it as creating your own personal “exit options” or safety nets.

For instance, if you’re a specialist in one software platform, maybe start learning a complementary skill (like UX design, data analysis, or project management) so you’re not tied to one niche. If your whole career is in one industry, expose yourself to knowledge from another industry – cross-pollination often breeds innovation, and it gives you flexibility. Many of us will likely have “portfolio careers,” mixing different roles over a lifetime (and sometimes at the same time). You might be a marketing consultant who also runs an Etsy shop on the side, or a full-time teacher who freelances as a curriculum writer during summers. These combos can provide financial resilience – if one gig falters, the other can help – and can keep you growing.

It’s also smart to financially plan for transitions. This means if you’re earning well now, save a cushion that can buy you time to reskill or job-hunt later. Pay down debt if you can during the good times. In an unstable job market, liquidity is peace of mind. It gives you the freedom to be choosy about your next step or to pursue further education when needed. I know this veers into personal finance, but it’s integral to weathering change.

Diversification isn’t just defensive; it can lead you to new opportunities that become mainstays. Maybe that weekend coding project turns into a startup. Or the volunteer work you did at a non-profit (using some skills your corporate job didn’t engage) leads to a paying role in social enterprise. The point is to experiment and remain adaptable. One of my mentors used to say, “Always be in learning mode or earning mode – preferably both.” In the age of AI, that’s doubly true. We’ll need to continuously learn (because the goalposts will keep moving) and continuously find creative ways to apply our talents.

Let me also stress: diversification doesn’t mean overwork or constant hustle to exhaustion – it’s not about never having a moment of rest (remember the importance of leisure!). It’s more about mindset: staying open and proactive, not clinging to one professional identity or assuming “this is the only thing I can do.” It’s having the courage to reinvent yourself if needed, maybe multiple times. And it’s never too late to start. I’ve met a 50-year-old data analyst who started learning UX design and is now happily working in that field, and a mid-career sales manager who on the side built a following as a sustainability blogger and eventually moved into a new role in environmental advocacy. These stories will only become more common. They require humility (being a novice again in something), but they can be incredibly rewarding. In a strange way, the disruption can liberate us from a fixed life path and open up new chapters we never imagined.

Resilience is the word that comes to mind – the capacity to adapt and bounce back. And at its core, resilience often comes from a sense of hope. Hope that your best days can still be ahead, that humans will find a way to thrive alongside our machines, that disruption can lead to reinvention. Cultivating that hopeful resilience in ourselves and those around us is perhaps the ultimate individual preparation.

Conclusion: An Invitation to Co-Create a More Human Future

Standing at the edge of this great disruption, I feel a mix of urgency and optimism. Yes, the challenges are real – millions may lose the jobs they know, and that pain can’t be sugar-coated. But we are not passive spectators of these changes; we are the ones who will decide how AI is deployed and what our society looks like on the other side. As one Vatican analysis on technology wisely noted, “technology and its deployment are neither a law of nature nor destiny. The future technological economy will be built on human ingenuity and human choices.” In other words, the story isn’t written yet – we get to write it.

And what an opportunity that is! We have the chance to remake our conception of work from the ground up: to free people from soul-crushing routines and redirect human effort to where it truly matters. Imagine a future where “making a living” doesn’t consume our whole life, where increased automation gives us more time to care for one another, to create, to enjoy the richness of existence. A future where economies grow not at the expense of human well-being but in tandem with it, because we’ve aligned technology with the goal of human flourishing.

Getting there will require courage and a leap of imagination from all of us. It means business leaders choosing to invest in their people, even when a spreadsheet might justify cutting them. It means tech innovators embedding ethics and human-centric design into AI products. It means policymakers daring to put forward bold ideas for social support and not shying away from the price tag – because the cost of inaction would be far greater. It means each of us, in our own spheres, being willing to learn, to collaborate, to care.

I often return to the concept of co-creation. In many spiritual traditions, there’s this idea that we humans are meant to be co-creators of the world alongside God – that our creativity and work are an essential part of unfolding the potential of creation. In a very tangible sense, the AI revolution confronts us with the question: What kind of world do we want to co-create? We’ve invented machines that can ostensibly do a huge chunk of our traditional work. So what will we choose to do, as humans, with this newfound “power” and free time? Will we aim merely to maximize efficiency and profit, or will we strive to maximize human fulfillment and community? Will we allow social divisions to widen, or will we insist that we’re one human family, “all really responsible for all,” and ensure the benefits reach everyone?

I know what I hope for. I see this disruption as a daunting gift – a chance to re-center on what truly makes life worth living. Things like meaningful relationships, purposeful creativity, service to others, spiritual growth. If we handle this right, future generations might look back and say: the mid-2020s were the time when we finally broke the false idol of work-for-work’s-sake. When we reclaimed the Sabbath, so to speak – not necessarily in a strictly religious sense, but as a civilizational exhale, a return to valuing being over constant doing.

So, here is my call to action to you, to me, to all of us in the tech community and beyond: Let’s lead in humanizing this future. Let’s take the very tools that are disrupting work and apply them to flourishing – use AI to deliver education to those who need reskilling, use it to match people to new opportunities, use it to increase accessibility and equity. Let’s champion policies that protect the vulnerable and give every person a foundation to stand on. Let’s encourage a culture where a person’s dignity is never measured by their salary or whether a machine can do their task, but is understood to be inherent and immeasurable. And yes, let’s continue to innovate! – but with an eye toward innovation in social systems and spiritual renewal, not just in technology.

Each of us can start small: maybe mentoring someone whose career is hit by automation, or convening a discussion at your company about responsible AI use, or simply examining your own life to allocate a bit more time to human things – family, friends, art, nature, reflection. These are not distractions from progress; they are the very point of progress.

We have so much work to do – the work of healing our planet, the work of caring for an aging population, the work of teaching and mentoring, of building beauty, of strengthening community. These are endeavors that no AI can take away from us and that desperately need more hands and hearts.

My friends and colleagues, let’s seize this moment as an invitation. Rather than bracing for catastrophe, let’s prepare for transformation. Let’s co-create a future where automation and human aspiration go hand in hand – where technology serves the human person, and not the other way around. If we succeed, the story of the next decade won’t be one of mass unemployment and social collapse. It will be a story of renaissance – a renaissance of the human spirit in business, culture, and community.

Let’s build.