Is it possible that, in the not too distant future, man will not have to earn his living by the sweat of his brow? More than a hundred years ago, Oscar Wilde imagined that a day would come when, “just as trees grow while the owner of the country house sleeps, mankind will be enjoying themselves, or cultivating hobbies – which are the goal of man, not work – or creating beautiful things, or reading beautiful pages, or simply contemplating the world with admiration and pleasure, and meanwhile the machines will do all the necessary and unpleasant work”.
Is this day coming? Artificial intelligence (AI) enthusiasts say yes, that robots will soon be able to replace us in many jobs and we’ll have all the time in the world to do whatever we want. There are those who contribute small personal experiences in defense of this thesis, like the good friend who, not long ago, was leaving work late in the evening and remembered that it was his wedding anniversary.
He was driving and it wasn’t long before he got home. He needed a present for his wife. It occurred to him to ask the phone’s virtual assistant, Siri, what he should do. “One kilometer from here, on the right, there is a jewelry store that is still open,” replied Siri, helpfully. “Do you want me to let you know you’re going?” “Jewels are expensive, Siri,” he said. What if I brought him some flowers?” “Love is expensive,” replied Siri.
Everyone who uses today’s technological tools – and who doesn’t, a little or a lot? – can tell similar anecdotes. Virtual assistants, robots and computer programs are doing more every day that previously required human labor. You don’t have to be a travel agent or a record store owner to see the danger. Many people will be out of work. Obsolete occupations will not stop growing.
But with AI, productivity will increase, so we can expect that, overall, the effects on the economy will be positive. If the gains are distributed well and steps are taken to ensure that no one is left behind, the effect may end up being what Wilde predicted: robots will do the work and we will have more free time to farm and have fun. Isn’t there more and more talk about the four-day week?
The unknown is whether we are ready to accept it, whether we will know how to adapt to it. What will people do on the day they don’t have to work? Let’s see if, when the biblical curse finally ceases to be the law and people have more free time, they won’t know what to do with it. It seems like a banal concern – especially during the month of August – but to entertain and distract yourself in an active, and let’s not say creative, way, you not only need to have the desire, but also need a mix of qualities that today, accustomed as we all are to the silly soup of the screens, they abound less and less every day.
Progress always takes from us with one hand what it gives us with the other. Poking around a little here and there on the net, letting ourselves be carried away by everyone’s tastes and inclinations, is fun. Television is more passive, but also distracting. Now: screens distract us in a very primal way. We jump from one subject to another responding to clickbait and immediate stimuli and this weakens our ability to concentrate.
Distracting yourself in front of a TV or surfing the computer or mobile, compared to distracting yourself with some activity that requires some effort and preparation on our part, is like eating fast food compared to eat fresh, well-cooked food. And we already know what happens when we only eat fast food, don’t we?
Not everyone knows how to distract themselves intelligently. The lack of preparation, knowledge, ability to concentrate, can be a very pronounced handicap when it comes to filling your free time. Doing it passively, without testing yourself, without overcoming yourself, produces limited satisfaction. In the field of entertainment, as in so many others, nothing truly worthwhile comes without a little effort. No pain, no gain.
Breathing is not living. Vegetating a little can be healthy from time to time, but as a main activity it is typical of vegetables. Maybe it will happen as always and some will be distracted more and better than others. Or rather: some will be distracted and others will have to be distracted.
