Why AI stealing our jobs may be a blessing in disguise – if we can rethink what meaningful work is

Some feel that the idea that AI will take over human jobs is unduly pessimistic. Given that Hong Kong’s labour market remains tight, the impact of AI on job displacement appears not to have been felt yet. However, with many people today still trapped in the struggle for survival, there is fear that AI will worsen their lives, not improve it.

So when research by the One Country Two Systems Research Institute and the University of Oxford found that 28 per cent of jobs in Hong Kong are at high risk of automation in the next 10 to 20 years, it seems to suggest that such fears may be realised. But the question to ask is not whether AI will make human labour obsolete, but to what extent it will transform our society.

In an AI-prevalent future, where will the valuable jobs come from? Let’s look at Hong Kong’s current job market first. On the surface, it is a relief that the unemployment rate is 2.8 per cent, a historical low. But a closer look at the composition of vacancies doesn’t suggest a bright future.