Can we really have a life without work?

Elon Musk is prophesising that AI will eventually remove the need for humans to work. He is probably referring, of course, only to the minority of the 8 billion that live in advanced economies and, even in this case, likely not to be all-inclusive. We’ve been here before, of course, and we’ve been unsurprised but thankful that such prophecies have proven to be premature.

However, contingency planning such as that occurring this week at Bletchley Park is valuable. And should Musk be right, planning should extend to an evaluation of what life will be like without work in order to prepare for the social and psychological challenges of constant leisure.

Ian Reid