What happens to the meaning of work when machines can do everything better

In this session, we’ll explore a profound question: What is the value of human labor in a world where robots and AI can outperform us in both brainpower and brute force? As automation increasingly replaces both cognitive and physical work, many wonder not just what jobs will be left, but whether work itself will still be meaningful.

Will we be liberated from toil, or stripped of purpose?

We’ll explore:

• How work has shaped human identity, dignity, and status.
• Whether universal basic income or post-work societies solve the problem—or deepen it.
• The philosophical difference between productive value and intrinsic worth.
• Whether a life without labor is utopia, dystopia, or something else entirely.

This is a discussion for anyone curious about the future of meaning, purpose, and human contribution in a post-labor world.