'Congratulations, you have achieved nothing of worth ' 'Congratulations, you have achieved nothing of worth ' Friction-maxxing: could less convenience lead to much more happiness? The conveniences of modern life such as Uber Eats and ChatGPT are robbing us of satisfaction - and worse still, infantilising us. But should we really go back to the basics? Yes, obviously it is that. Let's all save time by you telling me what it used to be called.

In my most recent post, I offered the idea that the purpose of Artificial Intelligence should be to support this idea of Ikigai (生き甲斐): A reason for being. Melody Wilding wrote a Medium article that may serve as a good introduction to the topic: "The Japanese Concept'Ikigai' is a Formula for Happiness and Meaning". Wilding makes an astute observation that Ikigai "involves a commitment of time and belief, perhaps to a particular cause, skill, trade, or group of people." If you examine Ikigai closely, you will realize that it revolves around the central idea of the importance of work. The goal of Automation and AI, in contrast, is precisely the elimination of work.