The Exponential Enterprise…AI and the Flourishing Workforce

Conversations about AI today fixate on the future of work, but the real debate is about the future of mankind.  At the center of that debate are two prevailing schools of thought. One sees AI accelerating job loss and societal displacement—pushing us toward a future where machines do all the work, governments provide universal basic income, and human life is defined largely by leisure. The other is grounded in the belief that humans have a gravitational pull toward meaning, and that how we spend our time matters. Purpose is essential, and work has always been central to it. In this view, the time dividend that AI manufactures will unlock the potential for deeper creativity, personal alignment, and innovation. Drawing on perspectives from government, enterprise, AI, and higher education, this discussion will challenge the zero-sum narrative of AI and automation, and instead ask: how can we move beyond the future of work and toward an era of human flourishing?