In a recent podcast, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, was asked: “Who are the 20-something company founders of our era?” His response was telling: “They seem to be almost nonexistent. It’s not good. I hope this is just a weird accident of history. But something has really gone wrong.”
Actually, we do know what has gone wrong. In my just-released book, Build a Better Future: 7 Mindsets for Navigating the Age of Acceleration, I argue that what has gone wrong is a condition the futurist Alvin Toffler described 50 years ago: future shock. Too much change in too short a time. We are currently reeling under the pressure of so much political, technological, and social change. We are simply not ready for the profound changes just ahead.
While Silicon Valley tech “visionaries” promise that A.I. will bring quantum benefits in productivity, with our lives filled with abundance, superintelligence, and even a coming renaissance, other observers see a New Dark Age ahead for humanity.
Already, A.I. is responsible for the loss of tens of thousands of white-collar jobs, with more cuts on the way. On a recent edition of “60 Minutes,” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei predicted that A.I. could wipe out half of all entry-level white-collar jobs, beginning with consulting firms, law firms, and financial service firms. Already, A.I. is not just helping employees with tasks; it is completing them.
For many young people, the age of A.I. is anything but abundant. The system seems rigged by robots and algorithms, and is a dizzying maze of complexity. The first rung on the ladder is missing entirely. There is little talk of the New Renaissance nor of A.I. as an enabler of human flourishing.
Instead, there’s bewilderment that we’ve travelled so far, so fast from that period in 2021 that came to be known as “The Great Resignation,” when 41 million Americans voluntarily left their jobs, exercising their agency to pursue new careers, start businesses, or follow their bliss.
Today, a leaner employment picture has taken hold. Large employers are shedding jobs at a pace not seen in years, shrinking career paths that once sustained middle-class families and long-term security. Nearly two million Americans have been out of work for six months or more, according to government data.
Consider the plight of job seekers today. For any open position, applicants are competing with hundreds of other job seekers on multiple job websites. For employers, A.I. performs the first few rounds of culling, so job seekers have no choice but to try and game the system. And when an interview is obtained, the exchange is often with a bot rather than a human being. The rejected applicant receives no feedback on which to hone their approach for the next opportunity.
AI did not set off these trends, but has exacerbated them. And combine AI with the “affordability crisis,” and you have a sense of why young people are often depressed and cynical.
People under the age of 40 are 24 percent less well off financially than a generation ago. Very few of them can afford a home, afford college, or pay off debilitating debt. Young men are especially challenged by the dawning age and are simply checking out instead. In five years, projections are that two women will graduate from college for every one man.
As AI changes how we work and how we add value, new mindsets will be needed. Meanwhile, problem-solving, critical thinking, and numeracy are in decline. A 2024 global assessment found that 34 percent of U.S. adults possess math skills below primary school level. One study noted that 45 percent of college students showed no significant gains in critical thinking, complex reasoning, or writing skills upon earning their four-year degree.
For many, “adulting” is becoming more difficult. Everything from paying bills on time to scheduling your own doctor’s appointments, keeping track of passwords, living within your means, cooking something that isn’t microwaved, and navigating modern life is what adulting entails. Young people often report struggling with these very tasks, especially relationship building. Surveys suggest nearly half of Americans have no close personal friends.
A key component of flourishing in the years ahead will be nurturing one’s human agency, or what people used to call motivation. By whatever name you call it, unleashing one’s agency to meet the challenge of hyper change will be essential to success in the Age of Acceleration.
Human agency is the capacity to act intentionally. It’s the ability and willingness to make choices and shape our own futures, rather than be controlled by circumstances. Human agency is the “make it happen” component in ourselves that is essential to navigating change, seizing opportunity, and building the future we most desire for ourselves.
Whatever we call it, it involves believing you can make your way in this world, and that “if it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” Start by noticing your thought patterns, replacing reactive thinking with intentional thinking. Practice self-management by asking, “What can I control here?” and acting on that. And you cultivate the conviction that your ideas and actions still matter—no matter the headlines. In an era of accelerating change, rediscovering and strengthening that sense of agency may be the most vital skill we can train ourselves to master.
When I speak to audiences of young people, I emphasize that we are not powerless. Even when it feels like the world is being driven by algorithms and A.I.-generated bots, your choice is to strive to become a fully functioning human being. Even when you’ve applied for a hundred jobs, been interviewed by bots, not by humans who gave you zero feedback, agency is a muscle. Agency is the belief that your choices matter.
Agency is the belief that if one door closes, another door opens, and it may turn out for the better.