In 1965, Time magazine declared that by 2000, Americans would work just 20 hours a week, retiring at 50 with ‘a guaranteed income for life.’ “Many scientists hope that in time the computer will allow man to return to the Hellenic concept of leisure, in which the Greeks had time to cultivate their minds and improve their environment while slaves did all the labor,” the article continued. The slaves, in modern Hellenism, would be the computers. Yet here we are, a quarter century after that prediction, grinding through intense work weeks while doomscrolling through other people’s vacations and wellness rituals. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Every time technology offers to save us time, we invent new ways to stay busy . Email was supposed to kill paperwork. Instead, we send 300 billion emails a year. Slack was supposed to kill email. Instead, we send 1.5bn messages per week. History is littered with predictions about technology freeing us from work: 💡Aristotle (350 BCE): ‘ If every tool could perform its own work, slavery would be unnecessary .’ 💡John Maynard Keynes (1930): ‘ Our grandchildren will work three hours a day .’ 💡 Fei-Fei Li, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University (2020s): ‘ I imagine a world in which AI is going to make us work more productively, live longer, and have cleaner energy .’ These visionaries agreed on one thing: Technology should serve humans. But history shows we’d rather serve technology. With every technological leap forward we tend to follow Amara’s Law : we overestimate liberation, underestimate adaptation. We don’t eliminate work; we upgrade it.

Creativity doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s built on cognitive skills like working memory, critical thinking, and deep focus. It’s the mental exercise of connecting ideas, questioning assumptions, and immersing ourselves in problems to come up with novel solutions. But when we let AI handle these cognitive tasks — whether brainstorming, writing, or problem-solving — our brains lose the practice needed to maintain those essential skills.

Dublin Tech Summit: 29th May 2024 This thought-provoking session examines the evolving dynamics between AI technology and human interaction. From UNICEF's innovative approaches to Humalogy's human-centric solutions, gain insights into how AI is reshaping our world. With perspectives from Logitech's CIO, delve into the opportunities and challenges presented by AI integration.

The symbiotic dance between humans and technology has delicately unfolded over millenia: an intricate choreography that reflects our relentess pursuit of progress, of innovation, and of connection. At times we take the lead, and sometimes we follow. And as this timeless dance continues, it weaves the threads of our shared story. To truly understand our relationship with technology, we must look inward, to better understand ourselves. When we better understand ourselves — our desires, our vulnerabilities, our motivations — we can unlock profound insights into how we are shaping the world around us, and how we are adapting to the changes we have put in motion.

The meteoric rise of AI has put the fear of Skynet into all of us since the launch of ChatGPT and the sudden mainstreaming of the alarm around artificial intelligence, bots, and automation. How can we put humans back into the heart of technology is the objective of our guest this morning, Declan Foster who will help us unpack, debunk and humanize this complex world of technology that now swirls around us.

Humology is awarded a 5-star review in the Reader's Choice Awards in 2023!

Since the beginning of this year, ChatGPT has taken the world by storm, setting a record for the fastest user growth in January (reaching 100 million active users two months after launch!) The implications of this tool are far-reaching, with universities around the world scrambling to find a way to detect ChatGPT use in submitted essays, and tech giants from Google to Meta rerouting entire teams to focus on commercializing their own AI efforts. ChatGPT is first and foremost a conversational AI — so I thought “why not have a conversation about how it might impact us already-overwhelmed users!” Just a casual conversation between a curious human and the latest record-breaking emerging tech to disrupt the world as we know it.

In my latest article, I will explain what ChatGPT is and the underlying technology in what I hope are easy-to-understand terms. I will also look at the implications for the organisational change management professions, including how we might utilise this new tool. There are, of course, some potential downsides to this technology, including ethical and copyright concerns, which I will also discuss.