That knot in your stomach when you read another headline about AI wiping out jobs? I’ve felt it too. But what if we paused the panic and asked: What if machines lift us up instead of lifting us off the payroll? Turns out, the real job killer isn’t silicon—it’s the fear that stops us from trying.
Why Fear Freezes Progress
Remember those icy mornings when frost glued the car doors shut? Alarmist AI chatter does the same to workplaces—freezing innovation before it starts. Sonali Fenner at Slalom nails it: framing AI as a job-killer creates “fear, resistance and organisational inertia.” That headline-grabbing doom loop? It’s like telling kids sandcastles always wash away—they’ll never even try building one.
Studies show companies stuck in this mindset miss golden chances to streamline inefficient workflows that actually help humans thrive. What chills me isn’t robots taking jobs—it’s us shivering so hard we forget to steer the ship.
History’s Gentle Nudge
But guess what? Flash back to your childhood—did anyone predict TikTok dances replacing Saturday morning cartoons? Neither did folks in 1950 imagine ATMs freeing bank tellers for customer coaching instead of cash-counting marathons.
Here’s the wild part—Goldman Sachs reminds us: AI might displace 6-7% of US jobs initially, but history’s track record shines bright. Every tech wave—from steam engines to smartphones—created more roles than it erased. Remember when “app developer” wasn’t even a job title? Today’s “AI whisperer” who guides robots? Tomorrow’s career path for our curious kids. Net job loss? Rarely happens. Fear stops us from seeing the new castles already rising in the sand.
Our Secret Weapon: The Human Spark
Think about toddlers trying to stack blocks—they never ask, “Will robots build better towers?” They just grab, tumble, and try again. That’s the magic AI can’t replicate: our messy, resilient humanity.
Manpower Group’s research reveals AI first reshapes “Coding, Conversation, and Content”—but human strengths like “eye contact during tough talks” or “laughter that unites teams” become superpowers. At home, we’ve seen this too: when my little one’s drawing loses color, instead of fearing digital art apps, we use them as springboards. “What if we made that squirrel dance?” she giggles, then grabs crayons to reimagine it. AI handles the tedious bits—we keep the heart. That’s the sweet spot: machines crunch data, humans brew meaning.
Raising Future-Proof Kids (No Panic Required)
Picture this: your child’s future job might involve “training” AI chefs or designing virtual playgrounds. Scary? Only if we teach them to fear tools instead of taming them. Temple University’s breakthrough shows AI actually helps humans have better performance and creativity—especially when freeing us from boring tasks.
So how do we prep our kids? First, swap “Will robots steal jobs?” worries for “How can we play smarter?” Next—while baking cookies—ask: “What’s something only YOU could invent?” Bake resilience into family life: let them rebuild that cardboard fort after it collapses, or try “failure Fridays” where burnt cookies become “special charred edition” stories. The golden thread? Nurture what makes us irreplaceable: curiosity that asks “why,” kindness that heals, imagination that redraws the world.
Tomorrow Starts Today
That overcast afternoon when rain postponed soccer practice? We turned it into “build-a-robot” hour with LEGOs and pipe cleaners—scribbling “jobs” each creation might do someday. Fun? Absolutely. But it’s deeper: we’re training kids to see tech as a sidekick, not a superhero. Slalom’s insight echoes here—AI’s trajectory isn’t preordained; it’s shaped by choices we make now. So next time AI worries creep in, grab some LEGOs—prove machines can’t out-imagine us.
Source: ‘We don’t have to let AI become a job killer’, Tech Monitor, 2025/09/01 08:30:00