31 Aug 2025

Thinking: The future of work and human purpose

A lot of people use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help them now. It’s certainly tempting to get a computer to spit out all of the answers to any question you have. But those answers often lack nuance, or potentially vital details that are relevant to individuals and also our human experience of the world. I’ve certainly used AI to bolster research or flesh out ideas. To check occasionally on arcane technicalities – although these tend to be better addressed by reading what a trusted authority on the matter has said. But I always sense-check what comes back, because sometimes the tool gets the wrong end of the stick completely. And perhaps more importantly, the answers are only as good as the questions being asked. When it comes to writing articles for my newsletter and website, the process of thinking about what to write and why, is important to me as part of the work.

In the 1930s the famous economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that within a hundred years, increases in human productivity would mean that each person only needed to work 15 hours per week, or 3 hours per work day. He was probably too conservative about the rate of productivity increases we’ve experienced, but we’re close to 2030 and the rest of his prediction was wrong. Instead, what we have is a society stratified into layers:

• those who do no work at all (the unemployed or not-intending-to-be-employed),
• part-time or precariously employed workers often in low barrier to entry work,
• those who work a full week in jobs that are often still not overly productive or fulfilling,
• and an elite who often work far in excess of 40 hours per week and earn significant multiples of the average wage.

The talented (or lucky) few have effectively gobbled up more of the working time and pay, while many others have no good work at all. Perhaps it has always been this way, but with the growth of AI, it appears likely that we will see an acceleration of this trend: a small number of winners, deploying technology heavily to replace the minds and intelligence of many white collar workers, and in the process potentially profiting significantly for themselves, but at an unknown cost to wider society.

One of the concerns around widespread AI adoption is that it could lead to significant erosion in human skills. Including a rise in mental passivity – fostering a reduction in critical evaluation of information or independent thinking; and a loss of core competencies around analytical reasoning and creative problem-solving, as these skills atrophy without practice. This might sound like an argument between people predicting the end of mathematics because of the advent of calculators against others who will say that an excel sheet can save hours of tedious calculations and prevent far more likely human errors due to fatigue or boredom.

The joke goes that instead of doing drawings, and composing questionable music, or helping students to cheat on assignments and even exams, most of us would really like fangled technology to hang our socks and shorts to dry and dust the shelves or wipe the counters. To absolve us of routine nuisance tasks, leaving us to be more creative. But there is a much bigger question around the automation of wide swaths of work that require analysis, writing and synthesis, and other intellectual tasks which have made up the backbone of middle class employment for decades now. Who are we without work as a central purpose in our lives?

Work is not just a source of income, but a fundamental part of many people’s identity. If AI takes over a significant portion of the jobs currently done, societies will have to grapple with what it means to be a productive and contributing member of that society. In a utopian vision, being freed of a significant amount of labour should liberate us to emphasise uniquely human values of empathy and inter-personal connection. To share in the fruits of our time-savings – as Keynes predicted – and to build a more humane world for all. A dystopian vision however is one of mass unemployment, increasing economic inequality and reliance by many on the taxation of a few, with resulting social instability. The reality is likely to be somewhere in the middle.

Nearing retirement poses very similar questions to each of us. Often what vexes you is not only about money, but about using your time and purpose once you relinquish the work that has been a large part of your identity and your motivation. Being engaged in work is important not merely for the satisfaction of a skill done well or a service given to others, but also the social interaction and external stimulation of a workplace, along with a  healthy dose of challenge or even stress that promotes continued personal growth. For those without work, this may be sorely missed and in some cases it can lead to a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes.

Retirement planning is therefore an exercise not only involving cashflow planning but also some serious thought about the lifestyle and regular daily and weekly activities that are intended to make up your new stage of life. The caveat is always that retirement tends to follow a progression of gradually but unpredictably diminishing physical and mental capabilities, so that many bucket list goals should not be deferred overly long, and it remains vital to continue to have strong social and personal connections to maintain intellectual and emotional stimulation. Regular sports or activities, memberships in clubs or societies of common interest (whether stamps, locomotives, the local cricket club, or fine art), and for many, rendering valuable services or skills via local charitable or social organisations, can all contribute to a continued sense of meaning and purpose.

If you’re retired, what have you done to maintain the connections and purpose that work once gave you? If you’re planning toward retirement, what serious thought have you given to visualising what your new life looks like?

Download our free guide to retirement planning here: https://hoe-bridge-wealth.kit.com/guide-retirementplanning

If you would like to discuss your plans for a successful and enjoyable retirement, including how you can best save and invest to afford the life you want – book a free initial chat together.
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None of the above is financial or investment advice and you should speak to me or someone else professionally qualified to give you advice specifically tailored to your circumstances.