Americans are anxious about rapidly evolving technology, especially when it comes to how it will shape the future of work. Technology is a disruptor, but at the Charles Koch Foundation we view this disruption as an opportunity, not a problem.
Here’s why.
Technology cannot replace what is human
In 1921, at the dawn of the assembly line, a book called Social Decay and Regeneration suggested machines would “devour” humans.
Spoiler alert: the human race persists. The idea that the assembly line — or cars, or the Internet — would diminish human well-being was a lie.
Humans will survive AI too. In fact, business leaders, educators, learners, and talent practitioners, working with philanthropic partners, can make this moment one for unleashing human potential and making work more purposeful.
Technology is a tool for human ingenuity, nothing more. Roald Dahl, a somewhat controversial writer of nonfiction, but a beloved writer of children’s fiction, made an important observation in his 1953 short story, The Great Automatic Grammatizator, which did a pretty good job of anticipating some applications of AI. In that story, the protagonist discovers an “old truth … that a machine, however ingenious, is incapable of original thought.”
That line remains true.
Machines also cannot conjure the galvanizing power of human purpose. Machine learning might help us solve problems, but it cannot empathize, and, as business leaders know, empathy is essential to identifying the social, economic, and political problems that need to be fixed.
AI will enable humans to be more human at work
The employment market is going to shift because of AI, but we’re not going to see a broad displacement of workers. Rather, we will transition away from routine tasks toward employment opportunities that rely more heavily on an individual’s unique judgment, creativity, and ability to collaborate and communicate. That’s a win for company leaders. They have the opportunity to reimagine a workforce where essential human traits are celebrated and deployed to invent new and better products and services.
It’s also a win for workers since these traits can be cultivated anywhere, not just in a classroom.
The view that AI is additive aligns with labor market research and evidence. The World Economic Forum projects AI and related technologies will result in 79 million net new jobs by 2030. A 2025 working paper from Harvard Business School found that after the public launch of ChatGPT, job postings for occupations that involve significant amounts of structured and repetitive tasks fell by 13% while employer demand for jobs that require more analytical, technical, or creative work grew 20%.
Employers will always need people capable of original thought and empathy and the innovations that result from those traits. If we as a society stay focused on purpose, and unleashing human potential, the machines don’t stand a chance. What’s more, one of the biggest problems facing employers right now is employee disengagement. Engagement is an outgrowth of purpose.
A machine is never going to be able to match raw human ambition if we keep stoking it.
Smart employers will emphasize lifelong learning and purpose over pedigree
So, how do employers find workers who will succeed in this new future of work?
First, by doing away with the persistent myth that a college degree is a perquisite for most jobs. The percentage of 18-21 year olds enrolled in college rose from 3% to 30% from 1910 to 1950, but has increased only marginally since then. While millions of Americans find purpose and a paycheck because of their college degree, more than half of Americans take a different route.
Second, employers must foster a culture of learning at work. In an age of constant technological disruption, even people with PhDs, MDs, JDs, and MBAs will need to continually update their skills. If AI has taught us anything, it’s that a single credential or certification won’t last a lifetime.
Employers must help develop additional learning paths that unlock human potential and foster the workforce they need. The Business Roundtable has highlighted partnerships between businesses, training providers, and philanthropies that are doing just that, creating fast, targeted pathways into high-demand fields like the skilled trades.
These models do not just fill jobs; they restore the connection between work, purpose, and opportunity.
We also need more organizations like Merit America, which lift non-degree holders into meaningful jobs that come with a higher salary. More than 20,000 Americans have completed one of Merit’s 10 free career training tracks. Cumulatively, they have upped their earnings by $1.4 billion. Merit also now offers a 60-hour Workplace AI Essentials course, which is also free of charge to enrollees.
People trained to use AI are less scared of it
Earlier this year, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang argued that people who predict significant AI-based layoffs “confuse the ‘tasks’ involved in a job with the broader ‘purpose’ of the role.” In Huang’s view, AI will change “how tasks get done,” but it will not destroy jobs. In fact,
Huang said AI “could even increase demand for” creative humans driven to contribute.
Huang and CKF aren’t the only ones who see AI as an opportunity. Workers agree too.
Merit America has asked its students how they feel about AI. The responses will surprise people convinced that machines will “devour” humans: 70% of graduates said they have positive feelings about AI.
That outcome isn’t an accident. When opportunity aligns with purpose and the right training to fill employer demand, human beings become more confident, engaged, and innovative. And we begin to believe that, armed with original thought, ambition, a sense of purpose, and the chance to continually build our skillsets, humans will persevere.
