Will AI make humans useless? | Akram Awad
TED Talks Daily
TED
4.1 • 11.9K Ratings
🗓️ 26 November 2025
⏱️ 13 minutes
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Summary
"As jobs disappear, so will identity," says AI futurist Akram Awad, outlining the three types of people that will emerge as AI continues to replace the workforce. He introduces the blueprint for a society built not on wealth and job titles but on societal contributions, offering a framework to reimagine who you are — and a way for society to avoid a collective identity crisis.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. |
| 0:12.0 | I'm your host, Elise Hugh. Imagine waking up to find that the job you built your entire life and identity around can be outperformed by AI. |
| 0:21.5 | In this talk, AI futurist Akram Awad explores how this is becoming a reality for many people. |
| 0:28.0 | But as they lose a sense of identity, Akram says, |
| 0:31.0 | we need to develop the spaces and communities to help them rediscover who they really are. |
| 0:36.8 | He offers a framework for that reimagining. |
| 0:48.3 | Imagine working up tomorrow and realizing your job. |
| 0:52.5 | Everything that you have trained for, everything that made your parents proud, everything that you have trained for, |
| 0:56.6 | everything that made your parents proud, |
| 1:00.5 | everything that made you feel useful, is no longer needed. |
| 1:03.0 | Not because you've done anything wrong, |
| 1:06.7 | but simply because an AI algorithm can now do it better. |
| 1:10.3 | Take the example of Elena, a medical doctor in Dubai. For years, she was trusted with life and death |
| 1:14.4 | decisions. But today, AI systems can diagnose diseases, can design treatments, can even conduct |
| 1:21.5 | consultations. In fact, her hospital is already considering cutting the hit count of human |
| 1:27.1 | physicians. |
| 1:28.5 | Elena is wondering, if AI machines can take over most of Modison, |
| 1:33.7 | what is left that only a human doctor can do? |
| 1:37.4 | For millions like Elena around the world, this is not science fiction anymore. |
| 1:43.1 | This is an unfolding reality, |
| 1:45.1 | and the path that worries me the most |
| 1:46.6 | is that we might be hitting toward not just a job crisis, |
... |
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