The workforce is at a turning point. Artificial intelligence has become the buzzword of the decade, but the more I listen to founders, innovators, and executives, the more I realize the conversation is upside down. We shouldn’t be asking how to make machines more intelligent—we should be asking how to make people more empowered.

It should not be artificial intelligence.
It should be artificial assistance—assistance that reinforces and expands human agency.

Why Human Agency Must Come First

Human agency—the ability to make choices, take action, and shape one’s life—has always been the driver of knowledge, intelligence, and progress. Without it, we are left with technology for technology’s sake. History is full of cautionary tales where innovation advanced without accountability, leaving behind inequity, exploitation, and social harm (Ellul, 1964; Noble, 2018).

If human agency does not remain the steering wheel of progress, then intelligence—natural or artificial—becomes detached from the ethical responsibility of serving humanity. And when that happens, the workforce is reduced to being “managed by the machine” rather than supported by tools that expand creativity, resilience, and wellbeing.

A Commitment for Founders and Leaders

Founders, especially of technology companies, should be required—perhaps even by law—to sign a public commitment to the course of human agency. Every algorithm, every app, every piece of software should be measured not just by its efficiency, but by its impact on the dignity, autonomy, and empowerment of the humans it serves.

Progress should never be benchmarked only by “talent intelligence” or computational power. Instead, progress should be benchmarked by whether it assists noble human agency and advances humankind-centered agendas.

Heroes and Villains in the Age of AI

If we want to know the difference between heroes and villains in the story of technology, here it is:

• Villains are the antagonists who keep intelligence itself—machine or human—at the center of their initiatives, divorced from compassion or community.
• Heroines and heroes are the ones who keep human agency, human-centered empathy, and community wellbeing at the center of their goals and initiatives.

The distinction is not technical—it’s moral.

The Workforce Deserves More

Workers deserve to know that the organizations employing them are committed to human agency above all. Artificial intelligence should never sit at the helm of a company with human beings employed beneath it—not until we have clear, enforceable statements of commitment from stakeholders that human agency will remain at the center.

This commitment should not just live in corporate social responsibility statements. It should be visible in leadership language, evident in products and services, and embodied in the lived culture of workplaces.

Re-Humanizing the Future of Work

If technology is to play a role in our future, let it be as artificial assistance—tools that serve, support, and expand human capacity. Intelligence, whether artificial or natural, is not the end goal. The end goal is thriving people, resilient communities, and a human workforce empowered to make choices with dignity and impact.

That’s the future worth building. And it begins by keeping human agency at the center—always.

References

Ellul, J. (1964). The technological society. New York, NY: Vintage Books.

Murthy, V. (2023). Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on the healing effects of social connection and community. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. New York, NY: NYU Press.

Turkle, S. (2017). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York, NY: Basic Books.