Recent McKinsey research shows 88% of organisations use AI regularly in at least one business function, up from 78% a year ago. While many are still experimenting with or piloting the technology, about one-third have begun scaling their AI programs.

Since the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in November 2022, new and updated models have brought major improvements in reasoning, accuracy and multimodal processing. Beyond generative AI tools, AI is rapidly being embedded across workplaces and everyday software – raising new questions about how it will shape the future of work and society.

But is this progress something to celebrate, or a sign that we’re racing to ‘win’ the AI race at any cost? Will AI prove to be our salvation or our downfall? These three TED Talks explore some of the biggest questions surrounding AI: how it might affect our jobs, how it should be governed and what role humans will play in an increasingly automated world.

1. I'll probably lose my job to AI. Here's why that's OK

Run time: 10 mins

What it’s about: There’s a great deal of fear surrounding AI, particularly the concern that it will cost many people their jobs. But attempting to suppress the development of this innovative technology could rob future generations of important opportunities, argues journalist Megan McArdle.

In this talk, she compares our current situation with that of 19th-century Luddites, who destroyed the machines used by textile manufacturers in an effort to preserve their traditional way of life. Had they succeeded – stalling technological progress and, in turn, the Industrial Revolution – we would likely lack many of the things that now distinguish our lives from theirs: access to modern medical treatment, a wider range of career options and even the concept of weekends.

It offers a somewhat comforting perspective amid today’s fearmongering. By allowing AI to progress – even if it means some current jobs disappear and people must upskill or shift into new roles – we may be enabling the kind of innovation that benefits future generations. In that sense, we would be ‘paying it forward’, just as we have benefited from the sacrifices and disruptions experienced by those who came before us.

2. Why AI is our ultimate test and greatest invitation

Run time: 15 mins

What it’s about: Returning to the fears surrounding AI, technologist Tristan Harris warns that deploying AI without proper guardrails could cause significant harm. Nearly a decade ago, he raised concerns about the potential impacts of social media – including rising levels of anxiety, depression, addiction and distraction – and argues that different choices might have prevented many of these outcomes. He believes society must avoid repeating the same mistake with AI.

While Harris says AI has the potential to deliver “an explosion of benefits”, it could also concentrate enormous power in the hands of a few individuals or governments or, on the flipside, create widespread chaos if everyone has access to these powerful systems without safeguards. The choices we make now, he argues, will determine whether we can find a “narrow path” between these extremes – one where power is matched with responsibility at every level.

Rather than racing to release the most powerful and uncontrollable technology ever created, Harris urges us to slow down, consider the potential consequences and work together to confront – and ideally avoid – the most serious risks.

3. What you know that AI doesn’t

Run time: 9 mins

What it’s about: AI understands data, but humans understand experiences. That’s the message from technologist Priyanka Vergadia in this talk aimed at reassuring people who worry about being replaced by AI.

She shares three examples in which AI identified patterns or suggested solutions to problems, but humans were the ones who interpreted, questioned and applied that information to decide what to do next. This is something accounting professionals have long done – using data to tell a story and guide decisions. In this context, AI becomes another tool that people across different sectors can use to do their jobs better.

As Vergadia puts it, “The future doesn't belong to humans or AI. It belongs to humans who work closely with AI while staying irreplaceably human.”

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