‍ ‍AI did not invent the habit of treating workers as expendable. Fights over automation, water, and taxation reveal how much of that habit we are willing to carry into the future.

Labor Day was created to honor the people whose work produced American prosperity. It is an awkward holiday for an economy that has become increasingly sophisticated at obtaining work without accepting the obligations once attached to employment.

Labor economist Paul Osterman estimates that more than one in three American workers occupies what he calls a “disposable” job. His definition includes contractors, organizational freelancers and employees whose positions offer little security or opportunity for advancement. These are not necessarily short-term workers. Some perform essential work for years while remaining outside the durable relationships through which employers traditionally provided benefits, training and career prospects

As adjunct faculty, I get a front-row seat to the AI revolution in education and the workplace. What I've observed is both exciting and concerning, a paradox that we must navigate carefully as think about our future work.

Employees have been encouraged to ‘automate their roles’ to demonstrate self-direction and continuous learning. In the past, an employee's skills, motivation, and business interests determined the pace of change. Soon, the pace may be beyond their control, risking job loss before they can adapt to consider the next set of problems. If they can’t find problems faster than the pace of automation, they are not adequately prepared for transition.