1. I participated in a podcast last week. One of the other panelists was Moses Ma from FutureLab. FutureLab has a project called Manhattan 2, referencing the Manhattan Project for nuclear bomb development. However, this project is focused on helping, not killing people, and on the need to develop a human-centric approach to AI deployment that assures people have productive lives rather than being homeless and unemployable, which is, sadly, the path we are on currently.

Another company I met with is Level Ex, which uses video game technology developed by video game programmers and subject matter experts to spin up human employees for new jobs and tasks in a matter of hours, not years. This could potentially enable people to compete better with AI.

Let’s discuss how we could have a better post-AI future this week. We’ll close with my Product of the Week, the impressive new iPad Pro, which is, by a significant margin, the best tablet in the market right now.

The AI-Jobs Problem

Every Industrial Revolution has created concerns about lost jobs, and those concerns have abated with the jobs created by the recent technology, which worked out well eventually. I say eventually because there have been a lot of issues with the transitions, particularly with older workers who may lack the time or interest to be retrained, often leading to spikes in unemployment.

But this latest AI Industrial Revolution is hugely different because we aren’t automating a process so much as we are creating technology to replace individual people. Devin is a case in point. It is an AI employee that is on the market to fill an actual job. Rather than hire a human, you can just buy Devin.

AI and robots are not just being created to fill new jobs. They are being made to fill jobs where there are shortages. Long-haul drivers, for instance, who are in very short supply, are being supplemented and potentially replaced by self-driving trucks.

In addition, fast-food restaurants, where staffing post-pandemic has been tough, are looking at replacing all the employees with robots and AI. I haven’t tried one of these automated burger joints myself yet, but I did try the automated Barista created by Dell a few years ago, and it was, quite honestly, the best cup of coffee I’d ever had from a store. Even back then, robots and AI could do many things better than people.

But where are the big job openings in our AI future? Won’t they be the jobs this future creates because no one does those jobs today? So why wouldn’t companies spin up AIs in hours rather than retrain humans over years?

More importantly, who will buy the goods that companies make if we replace most or all workers with AI and robots? AI and robots have no income. For now, they are programmed to do specific tasks. They don’t need to eat, have homes, or commute to work.

FutureLab’s Manhattan 2 Project

Manhattan 2 is a fascinating project that outlines a plan to ensure future AI development and deployment that enhances employees and minimizes displacement at scale.

What seems to set this project apart is that the plan puts employees, not AIs, at the center of the effort. Most AI deployments just focus on the AI part; if it displaces people, well, that is just a side effect that is, unfortunately, way too common.

The new jobs will be AI-related, so people will need to improve their AI skills quickly. It will be similar to learning a new language or musical instrument. For instance, I’ve wanted to learn how to play the piano but have been unwilling to put in the effort, and I expect there are many folks out there like me. We’ll talk about making the learning process easier in a moment.

The Manhattan 2 project lays out the critical requirements for progress. FutureLab provides a hands-on VC approach that blends financial assistance with practices that help various companies create more human-centric AI services that wrap their AI products.

The elements include hands-on learning, a tight focus on creativity, a directed focus from the technology to its practical application, peer coaching for the companies participating in the program, progress tracking, and a unique solution for those with ADHD to help their focus skills. There is a product called BrainstormBot that is AI-based and can be applied to both startups and universities to help with this learning process.

Manhattan 2 is an impressive effort.

Level Ex

Level Ex is one of the most interesting training programs I’ve seen. Imagine learning a skill from a video game. In fact, imagine if most of your applied education was in video games, and imagine if the knowledge behind the video game could be used to train people and AIs.

What Level Ex has been doing is mainly focused on doctors. It uses games that allow doctors to pick up specialties in two hours, knowledge that normally takes one or two years to master. It was developed for the Mars mission because they realized that if someone were injured, they couldn’t ship a hospital and entire staff to Mars, and getting help remotely from Earth would be difficult due to latency and data rate issues.

In that scenario, the Mars medical officer would spin up an AI to help diagnose the problem. Then, after directing the doctor on any immediately necessary remediation, the officer would advise and serve up a video game-based training program that would make the doctor an expert in the needed procedure.

Now, imagine using this tool to spin up employees on AI skills. Rather than spending months or years to transition an employee, you would spend hours.

Instead of traditional book and lecture methods, employees are learning through video games. This approach not only demonstrates skills but also allows them to be practiced in simulations.

Initial mistakes, which are expected, cause no real damage. Employees can experiment with different processes and decisions, exploring alternative outcomes without risking their jobs or careers.