Serendipity and Learning

 I have written a bit here , but perhaps it calls for a slightly longer post. Recently, I was at a panel discussion and the question of future of work came up. While the other panelists gave a typical view of work, as the last speaker, I was tempted to bring in a different point of view (because why have a panel where everybody is saying the same thing).  So, I shared this dystopian view of work.  In the future, work will happen via long mails, slack (or any other messenger) conversations. The great integration of all communication will happen. And not because of anyone else - because of AI. And you will have a situation where emails are talking to each other via co-pilots, documents are being reviewd, feedback is being taken and given, it is being incorporated. The net result is that work is happening in the background. And none of these co-pilot owners talk to other - atleast not with the articulation and empathy of a human conversation.  In that case, why do we need humans? Or so ma

This is a story from Betty Crocker - an old story quite well rehashed in many places.  As humans we like to think we are rational, we operate out of free will and all that, but at a very fundamental level, we are quite hackable.  For instance, if there is a mirror, we will peek into it.  At a specific time, we will feel hungry regardless of whether we are hungry at all.  So many things we do are a relic of marketing campaigns.  And in that case, where is our independence?