There are two extreme scenarios for AI and they sit at each end of the spectrum.
The “Dystopian” scenario is where millions of jobs are lost to the machines, people lose their sense of purpose and lose hope. Happiness in this scenario is stolen by AI. Goldman Sachs Predicts 300 million Jobs will be lost or degraded by artificial intelligence.
The Utopian vision is that the machines do much of the boring work, be more productive and allow us to pursue our creative side and do what we love. It will add to the world wealth and productivity.
PWC estimates that by 2030 the potential contribution to the world’s wealth by AI could reach $15.7 trillion and add a 26%+ boost to productivity. This wealth boost and these productivity gains could mean that in the future, drudgery is over and Nirvana has arrived. Cocktails at sunset and partying till sunrise.
But happiness is a bit more complicated than sipping a tequila overlooking golden sand and sitting in a lounge chair next to turquoise seas framed by palm trees.
So, what is happiness?
Happiness is not just skin deep. It is the result of the intersection of many factors – Healthy human connections and relationships; enough money to put a roof over your head and feed the family; good physical health. Being free of anxiety so that you have the head and heart space to work, play and create allows a sense of purpose through meaningful work.
Human happiness is a complex and multifaceted subject that has been extensively studied across various disciplines including psychology, sociology, and neuroscience. Here are some of the main factors identified by research as contributing to human happiness, along with links and resources for further exploration:
1. Social connections: Friends, family and community
This may be the most important part of the “happiness recipe.” Strong relationships with family, friends, and the community are consistently associated with happiness. People who feel connected to others tend to experience better mental and physical health, as well as higher levels of well-being.
The Harvard Gazette: This Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest studies of adult life, highlights the importance of relationships in promoting happiness and longevity.
2. Economic stability
Once you have “enough” to pay for a stable life where worry has been replaced by stability and you have a safe home base, then you are able to experiment and play with the happiness recipe. It is not one size fits all.
Financial security is important for happiness but up to a certain point. Research shows that while poverty severely decreases happiness, money only increases happiness to a certain threshold; beyond this, its impact diminishes.
Princeton University Research: This study by Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton discusses how high income improves the evaluation of life but not emotional well-being beyond an income of around $75,000 a year.
3. Physical health
A favorite metric for decades is lifespan. How long you live. But a new emerging metric of “healthspan” adds a new dimension to that. Healthspan refers to the part of a person’s life during which they are generally in good health, free from chronic diseases or serious physical or mental impairments. It’s about the quality, not just the quantity, of life.
Good health is a critical component of happiness. Physical well-being helps people lead full active lives and reduces pain and the limits on activity that diseases can cause.
Mayo Clinic: This resource discusses the link between health, stress management, and happiness.
4. Sense of purpose
Having a meaningful, purpose-driven life is highly correlated with happiness. People who feel that their lives are meaningful are more likely to be happy and feel fulfilled.
This can be found in work and also in creativity. Creating something and sharing it with the world where you receive affirmation for your art can result in a happiness loop. This is where happiness rises and energy builds.
APA Journals: This study published in the American Psychologist outlines how a sense of purpose contributes to overall well-being.
5. Mental health
A day filled with anxiety is not utopia but endless dystopia, which distilled to its core means a fear of the future. Good mental health is profoundly linked to overall happiness. Managing stress, depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues is crucial for maintaining happiness.
National Institute of Mental Health: NIMH provides resources and information on various mental health conditions and their impact on overall well-being. There are no quick fixes and trying to discover a happy pill hasn’t happened yet.
6. Freedom and autonomy
Having the freedom to make choices is a key factor in happiness. Societies that support individual rights and personal freedoms tend to have happier populations. Having the freedom to choose your own path, have autonomy and follow your bliss can produce a sense of well being, achievement and peace.
World Happiness Report: This report often discusses how civil liberties, autonomy, and freedom correlate with happiness levels across different countries.
7. Work life balance
Achieving a balance between professional and personal life enhances happiness.This balance allows individuals to be productive while also having time to enjoy life and nurture relationships. Sitting in a cubicle all day needs to be balanced with exercise, human connection and the other activities that make us whole human beings.
Harvard Business Review: HBR dicusses strategies and studies about achieving work-life balance.
These factors, while influential, interact in complex ways that can vary significantly between individuals and cultures. But they are the foundational building blocks to be woven into your life. To be experimented with and tested.
5 Ways AI could steal your happiness and how to make sure it doesn’t
AI has the potential to significantly alter human experiences and societal structures. Here are five ways AI could potentially steal our happiness: and also how AI could add to, enhance and amplify our happiness, purpose and creativity
1. Replacing human jobs and purpose
AI can replace many mind numbing and boring things that humans do every day in the office, the factory and the workplace. But many of these tasks could be done by the machines.
As humans looking busy despite the fact that AI could do it is not an answer.
AI automation is capable of replacing a vast array of human jobs, from manual labor to complex decision-making roles. This shift could deprive many people of their professional identities and sense of purpose. Jobs often provide more than economic benefits; they give individuals a sense of accomplishment and a place in society.
As AI takes over more roles, there could be a profound loss of purpose for those whose identities are closely tied to their professions.
A solution: Take the time to look at adding AI awareness and skills and experiment with how AI can enhance and amplify your humanity could make sure that you evolve and adapt to the new “AI Normal”. Complaining doesn’t fix this challenge but re-educating and training could. “AI won’t steal your job but humans that are using AI could”.
2. Undermining creativity
As AI becomes more capable of performing creative tasks—such as writing music, crafting literary works, and generating art—there could be a diminishing value and appreciation for human creativity.
If AI can produce creative work quickly and efficiently, human creativity might be seen as less necessary or valuable, potentially diminishing a fundamental source of fulfillment and happiness for many people.
A solution: When ChatGPT first came out I experimented using it to write blog posts and my initial thoughts were. “If AI can do this, why should I even write”. As I continue to experiment I have come to the conclusion that AI can be used as an idea generator and catalyst for enhancing my creativity and not replacing it.
The recent strike in Hollywood by the writers revealed a deep fear of people losing their creative jobs to AI. But other artists have embraced AI to amplify their creativity to produce new ideas and art. Here are three examples of AI boosted creativity and art. In this scenario of being a creator your attitude is everything. Is it head in the sand or is it embracing a brave new and exciting future for artists?
3. Eroding social connections
AI-driven platforms and algorithms are designed to maximize engagement rather than foster meaningful human connections. These systems can lead to increased feelings of isolation and loneliness as real-life interactions are replaced with digital ones.
As AI takes on more roles that were traditionally filled by humans, such as caregiving or customer service, the quality and emotional richness of these interactions might decline.
A solution: Personal AI companions could help us enhance our social and communication skills. AI Tools for business such as Onloop.com could amplify, enhance and assist us with communication between management and the team. Again the solution is not about handing over the keys to the AI but using it as our assistant and copilot.
4. Increased dependency and reduced autonomy
As people rely more on AI for decision-making—from everyday choices like what to eat or how to manage our time, to major life decisions like career paths or medical treatments—there could be a significant reduction in personal autonomy and self-reliance.
This shift could lead to a feeling of loss of control over one’s life, which is closely linked to psychological wellbeing.
A solution: Social media is maybe one example of using the tools and technology to use as a servant and not to be its slave. Being selective about how you use technology tools including social media and AI needs to be embraced. Automating the drudgery of work and business can increase our autonomy and slavery to mundane tasks by using the AI and the machines to do the boring.
5. Heightened inequality
The benefits of AI are likely to be unevenly distributed, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities. Those who control AI technologies and the data they run on may amass significant wealth and power, while others may be left behind economically and socially. This disparity could lead to societal unrest and a sense of injustice and disillusionment among large segments of the population, impacting overall happiness and stability.
A solution that is still to be tested: Allowing the new species of trillion dollar global mega corporations that include Meta, Google, Microsoft and Amazon (sometimes called “FANG” or the Magnificent 7”) to run rampant without regulation or oversight is not a recipe for reducing inequality but for maximizing their profits. The share market valuation of 5 of these companies is larger than the GDP of many of the advanced economies in the top 20 countries.Their goal is profits and not the social good.
Responsible government oversight is needed to ensure that the technology is used for the good.
Facebook is not your best friend and neither is Google. Tax minimization is done to boost profitability and avoid paying their fair dues. And most of the profits do not trickle down.
One solution to counter this is “UBI” or a universal basic income that is being trialed. I don’t think handouts are the total solution but increased wealth should be shared. The philosophical question will always be “Is it fair?”.
The bottom line
The reality is that AI has the potential to deliver on the promise of a type of utopia but it needs to be used to serve us and not to rule us. It should not be a replacement but as an enhancement.
Social media was our servant until we allowed it to be our master. As a servant it gave us all a voice to reach the world, reveal our creativity and connect with our tribes and communities that went from local to global. But allowing ourselves to be addicted to endless anxious scrolling and small doses of dopamine hits is a trap that many have fallen into. Happiness does not live there in the shadow of platform and device slavery.
Shallow content and superficial consumption often lead to a feeling that you are failing at life as you see the polished outside of others that make you feel less and a failure. The truth is that the glossy Instagram post is often a charade.
Many people often seek happiness but are looking in all the wrong places. It is not found in shallow activity or passive inactivity. It is found by using the tool to help solve problems and gift you more time to do the things that bring you joy.
Happiness is found in deep work and deep connections. But you need to choose happiness. And you will need to create your own recipe.