Welcome to Mind Wise, an audio and video podcast exploring holistic perspectives on mental health care, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality, and wellness. I am your host, Dr. Ron Parks—a writer, teacher, and physician. Today, we’re going to explore:
A Future in Flux: Careers and Fears
I encounter many people who are beginning or entering their careers and who face very different societal and economic issues than I did when I started mine. I was just in conversation with a couple in their early thirties. They were thinking of getting married but were grappling with the insecurities of finding the right careers and achieving financial security. They had both trained in tech and information-related technologies as undergraduates and then earned graduate degrees. Each had interned at different companies heavily invested in artificial intelligence to expand their customer base and grow their businesses, helping them remain competitive and sustainable. Sometimes people approach me for collaboration or to talk about career choices. In this situation, I was glad it was just a casual conversation, and I expected it would be quite challenging for them, given the current developments and rapid changes in our society—to plan or make the optimal choice. This couple had the same sort of interests and goals that I perhaps had when I was first dating my wife and preparing for my career in the medical field, which also involved a lot of insecurity for me. From our discussions, what came to mind was that in the past, there was also a time of great worry when major societal changes, including wars and other catastrophic events, threatened to destabilize society and basic security.
I tried to stay optimistic with the couple who were discussing their anxious concerns about the future. I pushed those negative thoughts about the potential degradation of our society under rapid AI development out of my mind, as I had seen in popular science-fiction dystopian movies of the day, with plots about the destruction of societies taken over by inhumane tyrants, marked by mass poverty and an underclass of oppressed people struggling to meet their basic needs. I thought about the positive ways to frame my conversation, focusing on the possibilities that often emerge in moments of change, when things we thought were defined and fixed shift toward greater fluency, with opportunities constantly arising. I was hopeful that, in their love and care for each other, they would be on a path toward greater flexibility and perhaps be a little more prepared for a different kind of world than existed in the past.
Economic Insecurity about Loss of Upward Mobility
There has been much talk in the air about the rapid development of artificial intelligence and its infusion into most aspects of our lives, whether in our computers and smartphones, in banking and accounting, or in the information and guidance we get from search engines, drawn from their vast stores of information. These are valuable tools for research or paper writing, generated by what are called “large language models.” There is fear, and perhaps a level of panic among some, that AI will replace their jobs or be used by unethical enterprises or corrupt leaders to gain power and strip us of our freedom and necessities for survival. Fears well up as in dark movies where sinister forces have taken over, destroyed much of society’s fabric through wars, or subjugated the citizenry to the over-powerful and wealthy autocrats, as in the kings and the futile system in the dark or the Middle Ages. We all become subjugated to a meager, unsafe existence in a dystopian society—a popular theme in science fiction novels, but unfortunately, possibly hidden as deep concerns in the back of our minds or perhaps in the collective unconscious.
As concerns about the rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its feared consequences became apparent in other conversations and articles I reviewed, I focused on the most frequently raised pessimistic themes. A prominent fear among people seeking jobs in information and knowledge applications—knowledge-based fields that rely on specialized expertise—was that advanced AI would soon automate their roles. AI and automation could threaten their financial stability and their ability to build a secure career and advance financially, locking them into a permanent underclass and blocking any upward mobility. Rapid acceleration of AI growth was expected to cause those who remained employed to lose their bargaining power and share of the organization’s profits. The resulting job losses and financial instability could foster large-scale rage, political unrest, and even violence if there is a growing failure to protect workers and the citizenry. Some even catastrophize a bleak future with a repressed economic underclass, subservient to ruthless overlords or an ultra-rich class of a small minority of the population that monopolizes wealth and power.1
Pundits and leaders in the AI field warn of fewer opportunities as technology advances, with automation potentially eliminating many jobs. Economists debate how significantly these changes will impact people’s futures. Some point out that with every major advance in technology, the workforce and its needs have simply shifted to reflect what’s valuable and necessary to support economic growth and stability. As AI makes knowledge and information easier to access, there will always be a need for services and experiences that only another human can provide. As more routine work is automated, jobs that focus on human interaction and relationships will become more essential. There is the optimistic hope that new technology and AI can create new jobs, occupations, and opportunities, and even open up whole new fields of endeavor.
Social Disconnection and Burnout in Toxic Environments and Workplaces
On the pessimistic side, there remains the potential for economic upheaval if many jobs are lost without adequate support from the broader community. There is a risk that the growth of AI, and with it the increasing capture of people’s attention, especially among youth and more vulnerable individuals, will erode their social and relational skills, leading them to spend less time giving and receiving support from others—an essential for human health and well-being.2
A few times in the past, I’ve seen real tragedy when there was a mismatch between a person and a job at an AI development company. The bad fit was for the individual I knew, who was hired by a large company seeking to rapidly develop its AI capabilities and programs to increase operational efficiency, become more competitive in the industry, and develop the products needed to ensure its success. This person, like others I talked with, was highly responsible, doing their best to achieve their goals of upward career mobility and financial security. All had an amazing capacity for problem-solving and were very intellectual and verbal, with a talent for creating patterns to solve challenging problems. Employers who want to get the maximum benefit from their talented employees would have them work at a pace that meets company goals, with high financial incentives and pressure to complete projects, without much concern for their health or well-being. The end result was a toxic situation in which the hired person, to achieve the goals, satisfy the company’s needs, and receive the gratification of rewards for their work in terms of pay and advancement, would work incessant hours, sometimes around the clock, to meet the goal of completing projects.
Burnout, often exhaustion, depression, and anxiety, ultimately can lead to dropping out of the workforce, the need for intensive care, medication, or hospitalization. In uncommon or isolated situations, severe despondency could develop and lead to suicidal or homicidal depression. I recall these examples were from the early years of artificial intelligence development and reflected the employers and companies that existed then and probably still exist today. I guess that in all things there are the good and the bad, as with humanistic, caring companies that exist, alongside the toxic, destructive types of businesses and corporations that are more geared toward overzealous growth, profits, and the need to dominate others in the industry to the detriment of their workforce and the public. A danger today is that, with the greater concentration of wealth and power in fewer companies and owners, there is a greater risk of dehumanizing the workforce, with their focus entirely on developing products for personal gain in wealth and power. Companies and developers become very short-sighted about the need to care for their family of workers, which ultimately extends to the community of people who will buy their products—a destructive cycle rather than one of creativity that supports the growth and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. The Japanese have a term, “karoshi—death by overworking,” for employees who die from heart failure, stroke, suicide, or stress-related illness triggered by excessive working hours and extreme job-related stress in a high-pressure environment. The problem has prompted discussions in many countries about work-life balance, labor practices, and the health impacts of high-pressure industrial and corporate cultures.3
Restoring Control: Mindfulness and Present Actions
With these larger forces operating and seemingly beyond our control, the challenge is to determine what we can do in our individual situations. First, cultivate awareness and mindfulness of the busy thoughts, inner narratives, and mind chatter that dominate our mental lives. Often, the drama and emotions attached to these inner ideas and beliefs hold our attention tightly. They draw us away from the reality of the immediate world around us, from the changes occurring, and from the flexibility and adaptability required for our health, safety, and well-being. The more we participate in positive activities available to us—whether as individual actions or as things we do in relationships and collaboration with others—the more we restore balance. We move away from being trapped in unproductive thinking and toward the “immediate now presence” and the truer reality of what is happening in our moments of existence. There are often immediate pleasures and gratifications that allow us to drop the addictive, consuming inner thoughts and drama that keep our minds spinning beyond the reality of the “what actually is” in the present. One quick proof is to take time out right now for a pleasant break. Walk around your house, or preferably go outside, to take in the elements of the natural setting and the community. In these moments of quiet, and hopefully release from the busy mind chatter, you may begin to feel gratification in being free of the constant mental stress of trying to figure everything out. If you find yourself unable to let go of intense emotions—if your mind is racing with chatter or despondency and you can’t be more present in the moment—it may be a sign that you are entrapped in a mental and emotional state that needs help. In those situations, support from trained and experienced people who work with these potentially harmful states of mind can be important. It can also become noticeable when someone is dropping into the freefall of depression, anxiety, addictions, or other ill mental states.
Positive Well-Being Action: Physical, Spiritual, and Social
There are many choices of activities, both mental and physical, and spiritual, that can be considered an important part of your consistent daily activities to maintain a balance between the needed engaged mental activities for career or productivity in everyday life, or for the sustenance and care of oneself and others. Often, we can’t control a lot of the things that we would like to, as the larger societal forces that seem to be on a destructive path or as our out-of-control addictive behaviors, perhaps driven by gratification needs, greed for more money, power, and dominance over others. We often do have the choice, when we don’t think we have any, to choose more immediate activities for our betterment, sustainability, and well-being. Of course, one might argue that what if you’re in a bad relationship, an imprisonment of some sort, or are working for one of these toxic companies, where you feel you don’t have any other choice, and it is needed for your survival. There are stories even in these terribly oppressive situations, where people have survived by tuning into immediate things they could do, as those in an imprisoned situation could do little bits of exercise daily with mindfulness and reflective meditation practices. If one is again in a regular life and feels trapped or imprisoned with incessant running negative thoughts and narratives in the head, an increasing emotional state, or mental agitation, it is a time to reach out for help.
With so many positive activities to restore balance to physical, mental, and emotional states, I can only mention a few that I have personally explored and found beneficial. I put exercise and nutrition high on the list. I knew an influential teacher who taught that simply taking more time to chew your food in a meditative state was a survival technique he learned in a concentration camp. For many people, finding and procuring healthy food isn’t an option. There are things they can learn or adopt as nutritional practices that can be very helpful. Moving versus being passive, or being totally involved in passive activities, is an easy one. All you have to do is commit to moving more and adding healthy exercises you can do. I’ve always been a fan of yoga, as it involves movement, stretching, breathing, and meditation-like techniques, and a philosophy that leans toward health, well-being, and spiritual attunement.
It has been well established that group activities with others can have immense benefits for stress reduction and mental well-being. When available, engage with them in ways that are suitable and comfortable for you. Much of the productivity in our society comes from collaboration with other people. One might ask, what if my immediate family or friends are actually very toxic to me? In that situation, one has to especially look at their options to find more nourishing, supportive, and caring relationships.
Taking Control, Using Discernment, and Collaborating with Others
There are many kinds of programs marketed as offering better health, well-being, and longevity. I would caution against jumping into things without carefully seeing if what is being said or offered is truly beneficial for you. Any spiritual activity or involvement with a group pursuing spiritual goals has also been shown to be beneficial. I use the term spirituality here in the broader sense of the counterbalance to being entrapped or imprisoned in your own mind and thought activity, versus being more in the experience and awareness of the larger world and environment, which usually triggers the feeling of peacefulness, relaxation, and release from the pain or entanglement of worries and overzealous mental activity. Everyone has the potential to move in the directions noted above through their own self-exploration, such as reading or personal research, while others find it through engagement with significant others or by pursuing beneficial activities.
So, seek out these beneficial alternatives whenever possible. Control what you can, within your immediate capacity and what is available to you. Again, when entrapped or feeling helpless or hopeless, reach out for help from others you believe will give you healthy guidance and direction, or from trained and experienced mental health providers.
Remembering Frank E. Wolf: A Call for Ethics in AI
In passing, and very pertinent to today’s topic, there is a remembrance of an admired friend and neighbor, Frank E. Wolf. He recently died at age 92, a robust, kind man of many talents and intellectual exuberance, with a PhD, who was deeply interested in Artificial Intelligence, served as a Business Ethics Advisor and author, and worked on his second book on ethics and AI until his final days. He maintained a disciplined fitness routine well into his 90s and embraced every opportunity to explore the world, a truly Renaissance person with a holistic embrace of life.4
Frank would want us to end this discussion by reflecting on the ethics of the current development of the people and companies involved with AI. Ethics is a branch of philosophy, also known as moral philosophy, that systematically studies the concepts of right and wrong, good and bad, and the principles that govern human conduct. It involves analyzing normative questions about what people ought to do and act, rather than describing what they actually do in real-life situations, such as professional, governmental, or business practices. It seeks to establish well-founded standards for behavior based on such areas as rights, obligations, fairness, and virtues.5 This applies to all companies and businesses, but especially to those heavily involved with AI or companies that operate on a strictly profit- and competition-driven model, down to the individual level of how a person lives and manages interpersonal, financial, and property relations with others. In both cases, the poignant issue is how others, the world, or the environment are impacted. Certainly, how we care for ourselves and others, shaped by our actions and choices, affects not only our well-being but also influences others, either positively or negatively, and can be mutually beneficial or harmful. So, a callout in remembrance of Frank to make the study and application of ethics a vital part of our individual and societal world, whether it is for our individual needs or the larger spheres of business, politics, and AI development.67
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For the full article and references, go to: https://parksmd.com/library-of-all-posts/ and to the article: Rapid AI Growth, the Human Edge, and Resilience
Caption for lead picture: Rapid AI Growth, the Human Edge, and Resilience—RRP Design with Canva and stock photos.
I appreciate your interest. Please share with others. Thanks to Shan Parks, editor and project manager, for his valuable contributions and editing. All content is created and published for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical services or guidance. Always consult a healthcare provider for care related to medical or mental health conditions. This communication does not provide medical diagnoses, recommendations, treatment, or endorsements.
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Silicon Valley Is Bracing for a Permanent Underclass by Jasmine Sun - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/30/opinion/ai-labor-work-force-silicon-valley.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA._Vgh.VfLjxIAVJELX&smid=nytcore-android-share
Ezra Klein, Why the AI Job Apocalypse (Probably) Won’t Happen - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/03/opinion/ai-jobs-unemployment-silicon-valley.html?unlocked_article_code=1.flA.H_nN._pzadAZbFMAp&smid=nytcore-android-share
For AI Standards, Stability before Rules! - https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4110515
How Prepared Are We for A.I. Layoffs? chief economics correspondent at the NYT, Ben Casselman - https://www.nytimes.com/video/business/100000010887206/artificial-intelligence-layoffs-unemployment-benefits.html?smid=nytcore-android-share
