The future of work, education and AI How artificial intelligence is changing the cultural landscape

By Cole Miska

Contributing Writer n an open letter signed by more than 350 executives, engineers and researchers working on artificial intelligence (AI), the Center for AI Safety released a statement this week warning of the technology’s dire consequences to humanity and disruption of global markets—even extinction.

Last month, a panel on the future of work and schools was held at The Machine Shop in Northeast Minneapolis that touched on AI and its longterm impact on the economy and different job sectors.

Several hundred people including educators, business people, and a group of middle-school students from

Ella Baker Global Studies and Humanities Magnet School attended the meeting. The event was hosted by the nonprofit World Savvy, an organization that partners with schools to “reimagine education and create more inclusive, studentcentered, and future-ready learning communities.”

Comprised of three experts—Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman, U.S. State Department Senior Ad- visor Hamse Warfa, and World Savvy CEO Dana Mortenson— the panel was moderated by William Guadelli, dean of the College of Education at Lehigh University. In addition to AI, the discussion covered several work- and education-related topics, including globalization and what educators can do to best prepare students for the future.

Friedman called the current state of AI a “Promethean moment,” referring to the Greek myth in which Prometheus steals the fire from the gods on Mt. Olympus and gives it to humanity to build civilization. He also likened it to the invention of the printing press, but noted that the printing press took centuries to scale and that there could be unintentional damage done by the much faster speed at which AI technology is advancing.

Friedman said the three things that will be most important for students and workers to successfully utilize AI will be self-motivation, access to technologies, and personal character.

Warfa added that he believed empathy and an inclusive society would also be needed to fully utilize coming technological advancement.

He hopes that the education system will be built to see and hear every student, regardless of background, and believes empathy will be required not only for the future of work but the future of building democracies and communities. Despite the risks, however, AI technology such as ChatGPT