All Play and No Work? AI and Existential Unemployment

Abstract

Recent developments in large language models and image generation software raise the possibility that AI systems might one day replace humans in some of the intrinsically valuable work through which humans find meaning in their lives – work like scientific and philosophical research and the creation of art. If AIs can do this work more efficiently than humans, this might make human performance of these activities pointless. This represents a threat to human wellbeing which is distinct from, and harder to solve, than the automation of merely instrumentally valuable activities. In this paper I outline the problem, assess its seriousness, and investigate possible solutions. I argue that AI could reduce our incentives to perform such work, and this might result in a great deskilling of humanity. Furthermore, even if humans continue to do such work, the mere existence of AI systems would undermine its meaning and value. I critique Danaher’s (2019a) and Suits’ (1978) arguments that we should embrace the total automation of work and retreat to a ‘utopia of games’. Instead, I argue that the threat to meaning and value posed by AI gives us a prima facie reason to slow down its development.