The Attitude Needed to Cope with a Changing Market
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned in May 2025: "AI can replace half of entry-level office jobs within 5 years; US unemployment could reach 10-20%." Administrative assistants and secretaries (~7 million jobs) are being rapidly replaced by AI document automation and scheduling tools. These traditionally served as "entry-level jobs" — social entry gateways. AI doesn''t just reduce jobs; it''s eliminating the initial stages (internship, probation, assistance) people must pass through, meaning not just unemployment but collapse of social entry structures. Yet human tasks remain: situations requiring judgment without clear correct answers, cases with social/moral responsibility, moments where emotional solidarity matters more than understanding. What humans must do now: not working faster than AI but discerning what AI should not do and filling that place humanly. Three practical directions: (1) re-establish standards for accepting technology based on human dignity, not just speed/efficiency; (2) educate and protect uniquely human domains — empathy, creativity, ethical judgment; (3) design institutions and systems suited to the AI era, including social safety nets and fair profit distribution. The reason to become deeper: "to choose rightness over speed."
