Plain English with Derek Thompson What Happens When AI Learns to Do Our Jobs
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Oct 24, 2025 
Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor focused on entrepreneurship and innovation, dives deep into the evolving role of AI in our work lives. He explores how AI's capabilities have advanced and discusses its limitations, including areas where it still struggles. Mollick highlights the implications for jobs, especially those involving repetitive or easily assignable tasks. He shares practical strategies for using AI effectively and warns about skill atrophy with reliance on technology. The conversation paints a picture of a disruptive transition rather than an overnight overhaul.
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Techs Reorder Work Not Just Tasks
- General purpose technologies reorganize work, not just speed existing tasks.
- Railroads and telegraphs created managerial work; AI may create a new unseen structure of work.
AI's Jagged Capability Frontier
- AI's capabilities form a jagged frontier of tasks it can and cannot do.
- You can't assume uniform intelligence; strengths and weaknesses vary unpredictably.
Frontier Moves As Labs Fix Weak Spots
- Labs have expanded the frontier by improving weak areas and overall capability.
- Breakthroughs reduced hallucinations and strengthened previously weak skills like math.
