Reaching AI 'Singularity' will hit billions of jobs - we need to prepare with urgency: Deb Hetherington

But amid the buzzwords — “post-work society,” “AI utopia,” “creativity explosion” — an uncomfortable truth lingers just beneath the surface. What happens when billions of people are no longer needed by the economy?

And more pressing still: What happens when they’re not inspired to do anything else?

We are told that when AI takes over the dull, repetitive tasks of life, humans will finally be free to explore their creativity. But here’s the catch: not everyone wants to be creative – and not everyone can be.

Studies from Gallup and the OECD show that the majority of people around the world derive their identity, structure, and meaning from work itself — not from abstract ideals of “self-expression.”

Fewer than one in five people work in creative roles today, and even fewer pursue creativity for leisure. If history is any guide, the transition to an AI-dominated world will not be painless.

When AI systems surpass human intelligence and begin to improve themselves, the ripple effects will not be evenly felt.

The beneficiaries will likely be those with strong intellectual or creative pursuits — individuals who can still offer something unique in a world of artificial minds. Alongside them will be the developers and corporations who own the AI systems, reaping vast economic rewards.

But the losses could be far greater elsewhere. The working class, already vulnerable from decades of automation and offshoring, may find themselves entirely displaced. Even middle- income white-collar professionals could see their roles taken over by intelligent systems that work faster, longer, and more cheaply.

Without proactive planning, we could see the rise of a vast “technological underclass” — not made up of people who are lazy or unwilling, but of those who are simply no longer needed by the machine-driven economy.

Avoiding the more difficult outcomes of the Singularity won’t be easy, but it is possible — if we act with vision and urgency.

One crucial step is establishing form of Universal Basic Income to ensure everyone has financial security as traditional employment contracts.

Alongside this, we need to promote new cultural narratives that redefine human value beyond productivity, encouraging greater emphasis on meaning, relationships, and lifelong learning.

To prevent extreme wealth concentration, there must be efforts toward the democratised ownership of AI, treating key technologies as public utilities that serve the common good rather than enriching only a few.

Finally, investment in community and creativity hubs can give people tangible opportunities to build purpose in a world where traditional work is no longer the central pillar of life.

If we prepare well, we can build a future where humans are liberated, not lost. But if we don’t, we risk not just unemployment – but a global crisis of the soul.

Deb Hetherington is an Innovation & Ecosystems specialist