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Is AI killing human passion?
How to find your passion and purpose in a world where AI is better at everything.
Passion paradox in the age of AI
In an era where AI can paint like Picasso and write like Hemingway, the line between human genius and silicon savvy blurs. We were once advised to chase our dreams and turn our passions into paychecks. But what happens when the canvas of our dreams becomes a playground for algorithms that can churn out masterpieces in milliseconds? When AI surpasses human abilities in every aspect? And when our creative efforts seem redundant in the face of machine-generated perfection?
Consider the world of UX design: tools like Uizard and Galileo can now generate sophisticated UI mockups with minimal input, doing everything a junior interaction designer can do and more. Visual designers, too, face similar challenges with platforms like Leonardo, Midjourney, and Adobe Firefly, which can now render both hands and text flawlessly — tasks that just a few months ago were thought to be beyond the reach of AI. Thus, what becomes of the illustrator when illustrations become a commodity, infinitely available at the whim of code?
This shift challenges the very essence of human creativity and raises profound questions about our place in a world where AI is just better at everything. How do we find meaning and purpose when the unique skills that once defined us are effortlessly outperformed by the latest LLMs?
“In a future like that, what would people do with their time? Would anyone still want to get an education when an agent has all the answers?” — Bill Gates
The erosion of skill and passion
My friend Jon Jachimowicz, now an assistant professor at Harvard Business School, has extensively studied human passion in the workplace. His research illuminates why pursuing one’s passion can often be so challenging.
Jon finds that although 90% of graduates consider “pursuing their passion” an important goal for their future careers, only 20% of full-time workers in the US report being genuinely passionate about their jobs…
