Dispatch: Jonathan Newman Podcast, AI and the Future of Work
The Future of Work May Not Be Simple & Humanity’s Path With AI
Hello Friend,
How was your week? Good I hope!
This week, I published episode 5 of my podcast interview series with Jonathan Newman, you’ll find details and links to this below.
And in a bit of a twist, I was interviewed this week by ! More on that below.
My article this week looks at the future of work and considers will AI will take your job? or could the AI revolution be an incredible opportunity for you to redefine what work is and make it more meaningful?
I’m also working on a new project. I’ve always felt education is incredibly important in the age of AI, helping people understand AI doesn’t require technical details or speaking geek. I’ve always known it’s possible to explain AI in plain english in a way anyone could understand, but I feel disappointed there are so few learning resources like this for AI out there.
I’m pleased to let you know I’m currently developing a number of online courses to help anyone understand AI in plain english. These courses will enable you to understand the fundamentals of AI, and how it might impact you in different ways, all in plain english so you can easily understand whatever your background. I hope to bring these to you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!
Got any thoughts or feelings that come up for you about this weeks content? Join me & others to discuss them in the new subscriber chat, i’d love to hear from you.
Finally, my ongoing invite for podcast collaborators
I’m really pleased to have published episode 5 this week.
I’m currently working with 20+ podcast guests from a diverse range of countries, ages, backgrounds and perspectives that I look forward to sharing with you in the coming weeks and months.
Next week, you’ll meet my episode 6 guest
Would you like to be a guest in a future episode?
I’m not looking for AI experts (thats me!) I am looking for people from different walks of life and professions, who have been thinking about AI could impact their profession, society or personal life in some way.
If this might be you, I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas, please feel free to direct message me using the button below.
Have a great week,
Take care,
Pranath
Will AI Take Our Jobs or Give Us New Purpose? Navigating the Future of Work
Will AI take your job? or could the AI revolution be an incredible opportunity for us to redefine what work is and make it more meaningful?
As AI grows more intelligent and capable, many are worried it will make human workers obsolete. But the rise of AI in the workplace could actually be an incredible opportunity for us to redefine what work is and find new purpose in our careers.
Work is deeply intertwined with our personal identities and sense of fulfilment. However, over-identifying with a single job or profession can be risky when technological shifts like AI disruption occur. Maintaining a flexible, multifaceted identity becomes vital as AI transforms certain roles while creating new opportunities.
The impact of AI will be complex - automating some jobs while generating new roles that require uniquely human skills like creativity and empathy. By reconfiguring work to focus on these strengths while leveraging AI's capabilities, we can elevate careers to be more meaningful and aligned with our values.
Episode #5: Jonathan Newman; Redefining Progress: AI, Humanity’s Path, and the Simplicity Revolution
How Anthropology offers us new ways to understand the potential of AI
In this thought-provoking episode, Jonathan, an anthropologist and researcher, offers a refreshingly nuanced perspective on AI's impact on society. Moving beyond simplistic narratives, he delves into the complexities of human-technology relationships, questioning our tendency to view ourselves as the center of existence.
With an anthropological lens, Jonathan invites listeners to rethink ingrained notions of culture, power dynamics, and the illusion of human control over the environment and technology. He challenges you to consider alternative modes of coexistence, where AI is not a tool to be mastered but an entity to forge collaborative relationships with.
This episode is a captivating exploration of the profound philosophical and existential questions raised by the advent of AI, prompting you to reflect on your assumptions and consider a more relational, decentralised worldview.
Shannon Edwards - Interviews Me!
This week we swapped things around and she interviewed me for her magazine Families for a Better New York. In my interview, she asks about my unique perspective on teaching AI to kids. I explain why critical thinking, values, and practical familiarity with current AI tools are essential for preparing the next generation. I also talk about my multidisciplinary background, spanning computer science, the arts, cognitive science, and personal development, that has shaped my holistic approach to understanding AI's societal implications.
She also asks about my podcast interview series which highlights diverse voices often overlooked in AI discussions, including graphic artists, lawyers, anthropologists, and even a Malaysian mother who taught herself AI image generation.
By bringing together these varied perspectives, I speak about my hope to broaden the AI conversation beyond the narrow confines of Silicon Valley tech bros and provide a more inclusive understanding of how humanity perceives and engages with AI. Through my newsletter, podcast, and upcoming online courses, I speak about my hopes to make AI education accessible and understandable to a global audience.
Explore My Podcast Series
In my podcast series I interview a diverse range of people from different backgrounds to understand their perspective on how AI is impacting them and society, to better help you understand AI’s impact & potential for humanity.
You’ll hear voices normally excluded and ignored in discussions about AI, people of a variety of ages, from different professions, cultures and countries.
Latest episodes include:
Episode #1: Shannon Edwards; Tech Revolutions , Episode #2: Cyrus Johnson; AI's Disruption of Law, Episode #3: Carolyn Cohagan; An AI-Fuelled Graphic Novel, Episode #4: Mary Kemp; AI for Small Businesses
Explore My Complete Back-Catalog of Articles
I’ve written extensively about how AI is impacting society and humanity, now and in the future. I’ve also worked with AI as an AI Researcher, Data Scientist and an AI Consultant.
Topics my articles have covered so far include:
How AI is impacting employment and the world of work
Where & why AI is disrupting different creative industries
What insights AI gives us into the nature of creativity and consciousness
Why AI is disrupting our legal systems and our sense of agency & ownership
How AI is impacting relationships: human & AI, and why
AI Regulation - Why we need it, what works, what doesn’t work
How different cultures are responding to AI
The potential for AI to revolutionise education
The effect of AI on mental health, does it make it worse, or could it help us?
As a subscriber, you have free access to my complete back-catalog of articles which you can explore here.
Thank you, Pranath, for your kind mention.