Work is an unavoidable necessity. The promise of autonomous and intelligent systems (A/IS) challenges this central fact of human existence. The anxieties this arouses are puzzling. We ought to be relieved by the prospect of being freed of degrading and precarious work which risks turning each of us into what Karl Marx called a ‘crippled monstrosity’. Instead, we are fearful, not simply of a world without work, but one where there is no point to our human contribution. Life reduced to hobbies and entertainment does not seem worthwhile. In other words, we want a world which can keep creating meaningful work.

Being frightened by the prospect of not having anything to do which really matters is neither self-indulgent nor irrational. When no-one calls upon our labour for a serious purpose, we face the terrifying prospect of being rendered socially invisible, reduced to what Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben called ‘bare life’, and therefore no longer worthy of anyone’s consideration. In other words, ‘the misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared with the misery of not being exploited at all’, said economist Joan Robinson, and she was right. If work – and especially meaningful work - disappears, whole populations fall under the radar.

We may not see work as one of the ‘hopes of civilisation’, as described by artist William Morris, but we still want to do something which has moral significance and emotional appeal. In other words, we desire meaningful work. Meaningful work makes us feel present to ourselves and others. This sense of personhood, of being a vivid presence in collective action, occurs when work is structured by the core goods of freedom, autonomy and dignity. In meaningful work, dignity has a specific meaning – of being seen as particular persons with lives of our own to lead.

Such work is not only morally desirable, but is a viable regulative ideal for a good society. New technologies around artificial intelligence can help or hinder the achievement of meaningfulness. Machines could help us build a more progressive society, when combined with radical social policies, such as a universal basic income. Only thus can we get to be seen by ourselves and others as dignified persons.

What is meaningfulness?

Meaningful work satisfies our drive for meaning and purpose. Austrian neurologist Victor Frankl describes it as the ‘will to meaning’. This drive is extremely difficult to eliminate. Indeed, people will use whatever materials are to hand, including poor quality and precarious work, to craft meaningfulness. For example, some hospital cleaners see themselves as part of the care team looking after patients, and some refuse collectors as stewarding the environment for future generations. The injustice is that organisational neglect can undermine this instinctive crafting of meaningfulness, and managerial power can appropriate meaning-making capacities to benefit some at the expense of others.

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"Meaningful work makes us feel present to ourselves and others." 

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Moral philosopher Susan Wolf says that we find meaning when ‘subjective attraction meets objective attractiveness’. That is, we are more likely to experience meaningfulness when we are actively connected to, and emotionally involved in, something or someone of value. Wolf’s therefore integrates an objective dimension as well as a subjective dimension to meaning. But when valuable persons or things become part of what constitutes meaning to us, we have to foster a concern for, and evaluate how well we are doing to promote their welfare. If we are going to be successful in fulfilling such responsibilities of ethical care we will need access to resources, capabilities and organisations.

New Kinds of Work