Is your job safe? Not according to waxy-faced Elon Musk

Mix yourself a Negroni, put your feet up, grab a copy of Closer magazine. It’s Monday morning and there’s absolutely nothing to do because the robots have taken over.  Who says? That waxy-faced billionaire soothsayer Elon Musk, that’s who, so it must be true.

Elon revealed his dystopian prediction that artificial intelligence will eventually make paid work redundant during a Q&A session with fanboy and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during an AI summit last week. It’s the end of work as we know it, so you’ll finally be able to get around to that DIY project you’ve been meaning to do, or bake those cupcakes, or read that book, or start your couch to 5k. Or is it? We’ve done a bit of thinking to bring you the Laughology answer with top tips to help you and your team make your workplaces and work more purposeful should we have nothing to do… very unlikely!

“We are seeing the most disruptive force in history here.”

These were the words of Elon, along with “There will come a point where no job is needed - you can have a job if you want one for personal satisfaction, but AI will do everything. It's both good and bad - one of the challenges in the future will be how do we find meaning in life."

The hysteria around AI and the impact it will have on the human race has been growing ever since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022. While many were quick to grasp how useful the programme is for help in writing certain texts, it is a long way from using AI to help you formulate a letter of complaint to it, making the whole of humankind obsolete. And it’s also worth bearing in mind that Elon has flesh in the game. The Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) boss invests in AI firms and uses the technology in his driverless cars. It’s financially advantageous for him to boost the potential of the technology whenever he can.

However, Elon’s doom prediction is not entirely hyperbole. It is highly likely that many mostly monotonous and repetitive tasks will be replaced by automation.

The jobs AI won’t take

AI is not good at unstructured tasks, creativity and improvisation. Jobs where customers value interaction with humans are also generally safe. Psychologists, masseuses and clergy are good career options for people worried about the robot takeover. In contrast, if you are training for a future in telemarketing, it might be time to consider another vocation. As a rule of thumb, if it’s easy to explain to a human how to do it, it’s easy to explain it to a robot.

Another way to avoid becoming surplus to requirements is to improve skills that AI can’t do, but humans can. For example, in retail, AI can ably take on logistics and stock tracking but can’t do the human face-to-face interaction that many shoppers value. In science, medicine, and law, there will still be a place for humans in roles that require creative and strategic thinking and problem-solving.

Jobs where you need a deep understanding of people and human behaviour are also safe, which we at Laughology are pleased about, apart from Ian in digital. Watch out!

Developing a sense of purpose at work

One of Elon’s observations was that when the machines take over, humans will have the option to opt in or out of work. Putting aside the obvious questions about how any of us will earn money when WALL-E has taken all the jobs, we also need to wonder, why bother? If we don’t have to, will any of us get out of bed, leave the house and go and do something?

I’m pretty sure lots of us will. And even those who enjoy the extra leisure time for the first few months of inactivity will soon be looking for something more meaningful to do with their time than watching This Morning and doing sudoku.

Work can provide a psychological anchor

The reason for this is that humans need purpose and suffer serious psychological difficulties when we don’t have it. Purpose is a fundamental component of a fulfilling life. Without a sense of purpose, we are more vulnerable to boredom, anxiety, and depression. A sense of purpose provides a psychological anchor point and allows us the hope or perception of hope that the future can be better or as good as the present and the past. A shared sense of purpose with colleagues in an organisation creates social bonds.

It is for this reason that a 2012 survey found that half of Millennials surveyed said they were willing to take a pay cut to follow a path that has personal meaning for them.  

How can you find a sense of purpose at work

1. Purpose consists of 3 things: what you’re good at, what you love doing and how and where these things can help others. Think of it as a Venn diagram with purpose in the middle. Spend some time asking these three questions and how they link to what you do.

1. Reflect on your week and ask yourself what you have done that’s made a difference; this is a great one to ask your team once a week.

1. Think about how what you do helps you achieve something in your life you want to do. This might be going on family holidays, saving for a trip to see family, or doing something else.

1. Most workplaces nowadays have volunteering days or charity links. Doing things for others creates a huge sense of purpose, and doing this through work can be an easy and good way to achieve this.

1. Workplaces should be more than places for just work; they’re social hubs, a place to meet friends, to stretch your brain and learn new things. Thinking about what else your work offers you and building time into your workday for these experiences will create purposeful work.