Commentary: Permanent WFH is AI’s best promise yet

Permanent remote work may be artificial intelligence's most promising promise. AI optimists believe machines will replace many jobs, but they also foresee new, traditional-like jobs emerging. Allison Schrager argues that AI could restore the autonomy and flexibility once central to work. Unlike the industrial era, where humans adapted to in-person work, AI could offer a return to self-employment and entrepreneurship.

While AI might eliminate jobs at large companies, it could enable new businesses with lower costs and more flexibility. However, this transition could exacerbate loneliness, as pre-industrial work offered social outlets absent in the modern era. To improve this new work arrangement, we must move away from past notions of work and develop creative support systems.