Human Value in the Age of Digital Employees
The rise of digital employees, or AI agents that can perform complex tasks at a fraction of the cost of a human, will significantly impact how we think about work, value, and purpose. This is not an abstract conversation but a deeply personal struggle for many of us. We’ve spent our lives refining our skills, building our careers, and finding identity in our work, only to see the ground shift beneath us as artificial intelligence redefines what is possible. The promise of greater efficiency, innovation, and cost reduction is alluring but casts a long shadow over the human experience. What does it mean to be valuable when the “intelligence” we once considered uniquely human is replicated—and often surpassed—by machines?
I grapple with this question more often than I’d like to admit. As someone who has dedicated my career to creativity and education, I see the opportunities AI presents. It can enhance what we do, help us tackle problems faster, and even enable new ways of thinking. Yet, simultaneously, I feel a growing unease about the pace of change and the implications for the world we’re building. If AI can replicate tasks and entire roles, what does that mean for the countless people whose livelihoods depend on those roles? And more importantly, how do we prepare ourselves—and others—for a world where our traditional markers of value and identity may no longer apply?
This isn’t just a technical challenge; it’s an existential one. Work has always been more than just a paycheck. It is how many of us define our place in the world. It is a source of pride, connection, and purpose. But when tasks we once took pride in accomplishing can be done more efficiently by AI, it forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about our relationship to work. Are we, as a society, ready to untether our sense of value from productivity? Are we prepared to redefine the meaning of fulfillment and success in an age where intelligence costs are effectively zero?
For some, this transition might feel liberating. Freed from repetitive or tedious tasks, we can focus on more creative, strategic, or empathetic work. However, this shift is disorienting for others, especially when the roles that remain seem concentrated in areas AI cannot yet master—emotional intelligence, critical thinking, and creativity. Not everyone has been equipped to pivot into these domains, and it raises pressing questions about how we reskill and support individuals in this new era. Education will play a critical role in shaping this transition, but even education itself must change. If knowledge and intelligence are no longer scarce resources, what do we teach? How do we prepare the next generation for a world where collaboration with machines, rather than competition, is the norm?
The introduction of digital employees also challenges us to think about fairness and equity in new ways. Who benefits from the wealth generated by these AI systems? Will the efficiencies they bring be reinvested in people, or will they widen the gap between those with access to technology and those without? These are policy and ethics questions, but they are also profoundly human questions. At its core, this is about what kind of society we want to create. Do we envision a world where technology enhances human potential or one where it replaces it?
I don’t have the answers. What I do have is a growing sense that these are conversations we need to have—urgently, openly, and with a willingness to rethink some of our most deeply held assumptions. This isn’t just about technology; it’s about humanity. It’s about recognizing that while we may not control the pace of innovation, we do control how we respond to it. For me, that means leaning into the discomfort, acknowledging the fears and uncertainties, and striving to find ways to adapt for myself and those I teach and mentor. The struggle is real, but it is also an opportunity to redefine what it means to be human in a world where intelligence is abundant, but meaning is still ours to create.
