In the AI Era, It's Not Jobs That Will Truly Disappear

Hello, this is Reiji Kuga.

The other day, I was working on an AI workspace until late at night.
On the screen, the AI was writing code.

Features that I would have thought were impossible just a little while ago were taking shape bit by bit every time I gave an instruction.

Watching that process was truly fascinating.
But, my hands stopped midway through.

Wait... if this gets even smarter, what will I be doing?

In that moment, the talk about "generative AI taking away jobs" stopped being news and became my own reality.

I was building a system to reduce my own work by myself.

I actually quite like AI. I don't just see this change as something scary; in fact, I want it to evolve even further.

The AI workspace I'm building now was also started because I wanted to reduce the time I spend worrying about the same things every day.

I don't have to give the same explanation every time I open a chat.
I don't have to hunt around for necessary information.
I can carry over what's in my head directly to the next day.

I wanted an environment like that.
At first, I thought that if work time decreased, I could focus on creation that much more.

But in reality, it was different.

Every time something became more convenient, new ideas would pop up, like "I can make this too" or "I can try that as well."

What decreased was the manual work.
What increased was the time spent thinking about "what I should create."

Even though things have become more convenient, I am thinking more than before.
It's a little strange.

"Crossroad" wouldn't have been completed alone.

The metaverse drama "Crossroad," produced for Project Alive, also didn't end up being completed exactly as I had first imagined.

As we proceeded with the recording, there were times when the way the lines I wrote were received differed slightly depending on the performer.

Sometimes my intentions weren't conveyed exactly as they were, and other times I was made aware of interpretations I hadn't anticipated.

At first, there were times when I thought about just proceeding according to the script.

I was the one who wrote the script.
I was the one who decided the direction.
That's why I thought that way was correct.

However, once I stopped to discuss it, there were scenes where a different atmosphere remained compared to the original script.

As a result, there were scenes where it was better to reduce the dialogue, and scenes where keeping the performer's interpretation made the character feel more authentic.

In that moment, I felt like the work was no longer just mine.

If only AI had been there, perhaps we could have created lines with a higher degree of perfection.
But I feel that the time itself would not have been born.

What I was really afraid of wasn't losing my job.

Generative AI will take away jobs.
When people hear that, many think of income and professions.

Of course, that is a realistic problem.
This is also a future that could happen to anyone.

But lately, I've been feeling a different kind of fear.
If my job disappeared, what would be left of me?

The title of director.
The name Project Alive.
The work titled "Crossroad."
The numbers I've built up on note and social media.

Before I knew it, I had identified myself with those things.

If it all disappeared.

I probably wouldn't be able to recover right away.
I don't think it's as simple as saying, "I'll just try again from scratch."

Things built up over many years are packed with that much time.
So if you lose them, it truly hurts.

Even so, I keep searching for stories.

AI will become even smarter from here on out.

Scripts, videos, music. It may come to handle many of the jobs that people do now.

That's why I don't want to easily say that "only humans can do this."
AI has repeatedly surpassed things that we were told only humans could do.

Even so, I don't want to leave everything to AI, including what comes before "what to create."

What kind of events moved my heart?
Why did I want to convey that event to someone?

Even if AI becomes capable of thinking that far, if I were to let go of even that decision-making process, I feel like I wouldn't know why I'm creating things anymore.

If today, AI Workspace, Project Alive, 'Crossroads,' note, and social media were all to disappear.

I think I wouldn't be able to write anything for a while.
I would probably feel depressed.

But, one day, when I hear a conversation between a parent and child walking in front of me at a convenience store, or see a casual scene on my way home from work.

Oh, this atmosphere might make for a story.

I feel like I would start thinking about things like that again.

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