Did We Manifest AI Due to Collective Human Attitudes on Work?

Food for thought indeed. There is a mighty fine line between "AI is taking our jobs" as a downright conspiracy theory, to something that is true and proven in some (if not many) occupations; from cashiers to illustrators, and robotic surgery to name, let alone robot lawyers for real. Furthermore, this article is not designed to create more fear and uncertainty than what is already circulating in the cosmos, but rather to view AI and the world of work from a different perspective.

This article is not intended to be a political piece in and of itself; yet it really makes you think and ponder as to whether the rise and acceleration of AI could also manifest a basic wage - otherwise known as the Universal Basic Income (UBI), where companies that once employed people in jobs replaced by AI pay a tax towards this pool of funds that is given as a certain monthly payment to any human over the age of 18, no questions asked? Or will it be administered some other way?

AI realistically cannot eradicate all jobs, despite how intelligent and savvy this technology and the Internet of Things has and will become. The human touch will be needed in high empathy professions, even if aided with AI via ChatBots and online prompts. Some people might welcome a robot nurse, while others prefer human companionship with such care providers when unwell, and hence highly vulnerable as a by-product of such.

If I said that AI is responsible, either in full or in part for the demise of many jobs that once relied heavily on human labour, through the power of the thoughts that were once conscious and now unconscious in our brains; then that would be the end of the article, right here right now.

According to the CNBC, around 37% of business leaders purport that AI replaced workers jobs entirely in 2023, according to research conducted by ResumeBuilder. Furthermore, a report from Goldman Sachs states that AI can replace well over 300 million jobs worldwide between now and 2030. Gitnux states that around 52% of jobs will be taken over by AI between now and 2030, while 30% of jobs will be automated somewhat between now and then. The good news is that with the right approach, the use of AI can be a great form of support in running a business, and with the case of writers like moi, in coming up with article writing ideas for (if and when) that good old writers block wants to come home to roost.

Those statistics are definitely mind boggling, significant, and cannot be ignored. It is clear that the tech industry is leading the way when it comes to layoffs from 2023 onwards. This link says that the list of tech companies who have laid off staff in 2023 alone (we remembered this exodus kicked off with a popular and default search engine) is comprehensive. Believe me, they are not lying about that claim. In case you are interested in that list, you can read more about that by clicking here.

If you are not tapped in and tuned on to metaphysics and the science of how we think; please let me reiterate the fact that our thoughts do become things.

"What we think about, and thank about, we bring about." - Dr John Demartini. Thought leader, and specialist in human behaviour and psychology.

Simply put, a thought could come out of nowhere. If we think a thought long enough, it gets stored in our unconscious mind as a memory packet. Unless you re-affirm a new thought in place of an original thought; the old thought (whether wanted or unwanted) will play our like a broken record unless we tap into our human courage and potential, combined with positive psychology to change all of that.

In short, we pick up thoughts from other people's expressed beliefs, and especially in early childhood, we absorb our entire environment like a sponge. Negative thoughts are easy to brew up, and especially when the going gets tough, with the sudden manifestation of AI, combined with mass layoffs, conspiracy theories, and goodness knows what else is going on economically speaking and otherwise right now. Therefore it takes a lot of courage and chutzpah to break down a negative thought, and replace that said thought with something that is more beneficial to our psyche, and hence is more positive and empowering.

Having the courage to hose down office gossip is far from easy. (Spoiler alert, such politics in the workplace is not immune in the retail and hospitality industries either, speaking from experience.)

It begs the question. Did us humans manifest AI into existence? Heck yes, we absolutely did.

And ChatGPT (the pioneer of AI) happens to agree with me, although it had produced a more technical and academic response to my deep dive into this:

Me: Hello ChatGPT, did us humans manifest AI into existence?

ChatGPT: Yes, humans are responsible for the creation and development of artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a product of human ingenuity, creativity, and technological advancement. It is built upon decades of research, experimentation, and innovation in computer science, mathematics, and various other fields. While AI systems can perform tasks and exhibit behaviours that may seem intelligent; they are ultimately designed, programmed, and maintained by humans. So, in a sense, humans have indeed manifested AI into existence through their knowledge, skills, and efforts.

And through our thoughts about working in general as a collective.

Me: And ChatGPT, do we want AI to either take over our jobs, or make our working life easier?

ChatGPT: The desires and goals regarding AI's impact on the workforce vary among individuals and organisations. Some view AI as a threat to job security, fearing that automation could lead to job displacement and unemployment in certain sectors. Others see AI as a tool that can enhance productivity, efficiency, and innovation; ultimately making working life easier by automating mundane tasks and allowing humans to focus on more creative and high-value work.

Yawns from the author. Just kidding.

There are times in our respective careers (whether working for the man so to speak, and/or for yourself, even via a side hustle) where we have enjoyed our work, and there are other times where we have been yearning for a change.

The catalyst or turning point for a career change could be due to working in a toxic culture, and/or for the wrong company and/or client to begin with. Even if you have a great relationship with your boss/direct report and/or client; we all have bad days at work from time to time.

As we are only human, it is easy to think not so positively in vulnerable situations, and during circumstances when the traffic does not go our way.

If you have ever encountered any of these circumstances when it comes to work; it is therefore easy to head into a downward spiral, whether temporarily or otherwise; and the most optimistic, resilient and strong people (mentally and/or emotionally) among us are still not immune to thinking not so positively about our jobs and/or businesses at the time:

• Your performance appraisals/annual reviews with your direct report/manager was not as great as anticipated.
• You get passed over for a pay raise and/or promotion.
• Your transfer to a new role and/or location fell through.
• A deal and/or client fell through.
• You fall short of achieving your KPI's, mainly through no fault of your own.
• You get bullied by at least one work colleague, which also includes unwelcome gossip about you behind your back.
• Your employer and/or recruiter (from an agency) fails to fulfil on their promises at the recruitment and selection stage (for example, travel opportunities to physically meet up with clients is promised, and does not eventuate). And the role is completely different to what was explained to you.

To only name a few. Anyone who has ever held a job (even if you have only been in the workforce for anything from a day, to years and decades) can relate to all of those frustrations that I have listed above. As yours truly has listed them; it all boils down to experience, as in I have been there, done that.

And I can definitely tell you, that if you thought that you were immune to such thoughts about your job/career/business, then you are in for an awakening of sorts:

"Is it 5 O'Clock yet?" (Same with beer O'Clock).

"It's 5 O'Clock somewhere in the world."

"Thank god it's Friday/TGIF."

"Is it Friday yet?"

"I'll be happy when..." (Fill in the blank. When I quit this company, the Christmas break is here etc.)

"I'll be the happiest retired person out there." (Including, "I want to retire.")

“I am sorry/I regret choosing a career in…” (e.g law, medicine, and customer service to name.)

“Dealing with people/the general public (over the phone and/or face to face) is exhausting.”

“Not another useless and time wasting meeting.”

Once again, to only name a few career related thoughts here. Can you relate? I confess that I am guilty as charged in thinking all of the above at least once, and even more often than that; especially when I was on the verge of burnout from my corporate role back in 2019, before going it alone for the last few years. Even if you are one of the lucky ones happy with your work, industry worked in, and/or employer and/or client worked for (regardless of your work status - whether self-employed, or you are a permanent, temporary or casual worker); everyone - from the Chairman to an entry level junior has thought all of the above in their careers at least once.

That is all it takes (just one of those thoughts, whether spoken out aloud, or murmured in silence) to manifest tools and experiences to free us of the thing that we are complaining and/or bickering about, because thoughts do create things, whether wanted or unwanted.

Our minds do not know the difference between thoughts that are a by-product of haste from having a bad day and setback, to thoughts that are genuine, and seem to be on auto-pilot, because there are cycles in life where many of us have had to tolerate unpleasant jobs and/or working experiences in order to pay the bills, and to put a roof over our heads.

Either way, the higher order does not care about this, and picks up on the vibration of us complaining about work and working either way, whether we (collectively) want to work or not. Hence why AI, redundancies/layoffs and other wishes have been granted to free you from what you are complaining about. It is like being forced to face the music here.

It is quite exciting that AI is changing the way we work, if you are of the belief that AI technologies will change your career for the better, and hence free you from the repetitive tasks that once bored you to tears. And even an unpleasant job once and for all, to force you to be honest and real about the quality of your life when it comes to your career. Once again, perception is projection.

Motivational speaker Andrea Schulman created some content around the manifestation of AI. Through this explanation, Andrea says that no matter, whether you are part of the Baby Boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, Millennials, or part of the Alpha generation; no matter which generation you were born into - we all manifested AI, and that is why it is mainstream.

Furthermore, Andrea mentions that there is some fear as to what it will do to humanity, and that includes the world of work, and that the lines between fantasy and reality are being blurred.

"And it has to do with robots taking our jobs. There are a lot of people concerned about AI replacing jobs. This is an answer to a collective desire. People are tired of working. This technology is going to take the pressure off humanity having to work." - Andrea Schulman

Andrea further said that AI is going to work for us in many respects. Technology has been taking more and more work off our plates, even during the transition from typewriters to computers, well before AI was even a thing.

"This (technology taking more and more work off of our plates) is something that we, as humans have wanted. We have always wanted the ability to manifest the ability to focus on our dreams and passions." - Andrew Schulman

In other words, to truly reach self actualisation on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

"We have to get out of the mindset that we have to work in order to fulfil out true dreams and passions, and to experience true joy." - Andrea Schulman

"And you're so right about people being tired of working. Just work work work, doing doing doing with little positive payout." - An anonymous YouTuber.

AI is wild, and I am looking forward to it supporting me in continuing to engage in work that I am passionate about, which feels more like play than anything. With time, the cost of living will also go down, and therefore money pressures and worries should dissipate, and that is what true freedom from unpleasant work is all about.

Thank you for reading this to the very end. This is a long article, but one that is so important to comprehend right now.