Imagination is key to prosperity in the AI century

Yeom Jae-ho
The author, a former president of Korea University, is the president of Taejae University.

Just five months after the shocking release of ChatGPT-3.5 last November, ChatGPT-4 appeared — and with it, an epochal change to human civilization. Drawing from tireless 24/7 machine learning through supercomputers, AI now can deliver its own judgment to mankind after analyzing all patterns of human behavior and languages.

If machines replaced mankind’s physical ability in the 20th century, AI is taking the place of human intelligence in the 21st century, buttressing futurists’ predictions of a revolutionary transformation for our jobs. The Future of Jobs Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum predicts that 83 million jobs will disappear by 2027 globally and 69 million new jobs will be created instead. That translates to a 23 percent reduction in jobs within five years. A dramatic, AI-triggered transformation will sweep all fields — not only office work and administrative jobs, but also professional areas such as law, medicine and research.

What American economist Jeremy Rifkin predicted in “The End of Work” will be realized fast. In the near future, mankind may work for only three days a week — and spend the rest with “basic income.” In the past, the noble class didn’t work after assigning labor to their subordinates. Instead, aristocrats spent time enjoying the sweetness of literature and art. Homo Faber, or humans using tools, will most likely become Homo Ludens, or play-oriented humanity, as illustrated by Dutch philosopher Johan Huizinga in a book with the same title.

Americans worked 70 hours per week in the 1940s. In Europe today, people work approximately 30 hours a week thanks to the increased productivity afforded by technological innovation. Culture and art also create added value, as exemplified by the fact that many entertainers and sports stars earn salaries of which ordinary citizens can’t even dream — and YouTubers, who make lots of money merely by broadcasting their hobbies, such as traveling or gourmandism.

Albert Einstein prioritized imagination over knowledge. He defined himself not as a scientist, but as an artist demonstrating imagination freely. The 21st century will be dominated by the power of imagination, not of labor. The bureaucratic features of the past, aimed at efficiently managing labor, will be pushed into the trash can of history.

Despite a lack of housing in Seoul, imagination to address the problem is shabby. District-based urban planning transformed the inner city into commercial districts while pushing residential areas to the outskirts or elsewhere. That forced commuters to spend more than an hour traveling to work. Elementary schools in inner-city areas can barely maintain 100 students. While expensive Myeongdong is crammed with four- or five-story commercial buildings, Manhattan is packed with a number of multipurpose skyscrapers enough to offer sufficient space for residences and parks. We can build 60- to 70-story apartment buildings in the heart of Seoul — above the railway between the Yongsan Station and Seoul Station, for instance — to accommodate the struggling younger generation for less than $1,000 a month, in multipurpose buildings fully equipped with childcare centers, hospitals, fitness centers and sky lounges operating 24/7.

The governing People Power Party’s move to merge Gimpo, Gyeonggi into Seoul to help solve the congested Gimpo Gold Line — the only means of rail transport for the city’s 500,000 people — is hotly debated. In Tokyo, express trains are transporting passengers in half the commuting hours of ordinary trains during rush hour. But in Seoul, most express trains stop at every station. If Seoul Metro adds four trains to its usual eight during commute hours, it can increase its transportation capacity by 50 percent — and if passengers pay some extra fares, they can drink coffee, eat a toast, listen to music or see a movie at a café or restaurant on one of the additional trains as they commute.

In the age of AI, robots can perform repetitive work better than humans can. We only excel in imagination and creativity. The only way for humanity to go beyond AI and prosper is to remove the stifling conventions of bureaucracy and revitalize our imagination. Politicians and government officials must solve our future challenges through the magic of imagination, not suffocating regulations.

Translation by the Korea JoongAng Daily staff.