AI, Liberty, and the New Social Contract: What Comes After Jobs?

Author

Alex Goryachev
July 09, 2025

As we celebrated the founding principles of US independence this July 4, I'm struck by how little has changed about the fundamental human need for self-determination. The founders didn’t just seek freedom from control—they demanded the right to engage in dialogue, shape their systems, and pursue happiness on their own terms.

Today, we are starting to face a new wave of societal and economic realities. Like fire, AI is a transformational force—one that can empower or destroy. It can expand our freedom and accelerate the pursuit of happiness, but only if we shape it intentionally. We don’t get to choose whether we engage with AI anymore—but we do get to choose how.

Digital Independence – Your Right to Understand the Systems That Control You

Understanding how AI tools work—and how they are already reshaping our economy, education systems, and social structures—isn’t just technical knowledge; it’s the foundation of personal autonomy in the digital age. As AI increasingly influences how we learn, how we work, how we stay informed, and—most critically—how we think, literacy in these systems becomes essential.

Our growing dependence on AI threatens to erode critical thinking and personal agency if and when we stop being actively engaged in shaping our own destiny.

This Week's Signals We Can't Ignore

Microsoft, OpenAI & AFT Launch National AI Academy: A $23 million initiative between Microsoft, OpenAI, Anthropic, and the American Federation of Teachers will train 400,000 K–12 educators via a National Academy for AI Instruction—embedding AI literacy directly into classrooms nationwide.

My Take: I was in a workshop last week with a Fortune 100 CIO who admitted that his interns understand AI better than most of his leadership team. As I wrote in my Forbes article on reverse mentoring, that’s not a punchline—it’s a wake‑up call. When the future workforce knows more than the current one, you're not facing a skills gap—you’re facing a power shift. The most forward‑thinking organizations are flipping the org chart and learning up, not down.

Ohio Mandates AI Policies for Schools: Ohio’s state budget directs every public K–12 school to implement an AI usage policy by mid‑2026, with a model framework due by year-end—marking a strategic shift from containment to integration.

My Take: Ohio is quietly getting strategic. Mandating AI policies across all public schools isn’t red tape—it’s foundational. Just last week, my son Matthew showed me an AI‑generated presentation he created for a history project. Yes, I was concerned about how easily he pulled in data without fully understanding it—but I have to admit, the structure was stronger than many corporate decks I review. It was a glimpse of what’s possible when we teach kids to pair critical thinking with these tools—and a reminder of the potential we unlock when we teach professionals to use them well, too.

University Professors Struggle with AI Literacy: A study of 1,103 Hungarian professors revealed major gaps in AI understanding—especially by gender, discipline, and seniority—highlighting higher education’s unpreparedness.

My Take: When university professors—the very people preparing the future workforce—lack basic AI literacy, we’re building the next generation on shaky ground. This isn’t just a technology gap; it’s a credibility crisis. I’m lucky to be working with institutions that are approaching AI holistically and leading the world—but they are still in the minority. In some cases, I’m seeing K–12 systems far more ahead in readiness than higher education—which is both impressive and telling. That should serve as a loud wake‑up call for higher ed to catch up, or risk becoming irrelevant.

Digital independence isn’t about rejecting AI—it’s about understanding it deeply enough to shape your own future with it. You can’t claim freedom in the digital age if you don’t comprehend the systems already influencing your future. And if you’re not participating in the dialogue about how those systems are built and used, you’re stepping away from one of the core responsibilities of a democratic society.

The Pursuit of Happiness – What Does Meaning Look Like When Machines Can Do Everything?

What happens to the pursuit of happiness when machines begin to outperform us at the very tasks that once defined our careers? For centuries, technology has created more jobs than it destroyed. But this time might be different—and we’re about to find out.

Work has never just been about income; it’s also been about purpose, identity, and dignity. As AI reshapes industries, automates roles, and redefines what it means to be “skilled,” we’re entering a moment of reckoning.

Will AI strip away the meaning we find in work—or free us to imagine something greater? And if it’s freeing us—who’s going to pay our bills?

We can make that choice—as long as we stay engaged. And it depends on whether we choose to be passive observers—or active architects of what comes next.

College Graduates Can’t Find Work: AI-driven automation is displacing entry-level roles faster than new ones are being created—leaving many recent grads jobless and uncertain.

My Take: The system that once helped young people gain a toehold in life is cracking. Entry-level roles may be the first to disappear—but they won’t be the last. From junior analysts to mid-level coordinators, the entire ladder is being reshaped by AI.

This isn’t just about jobs—it’s about access, identity, and belonging. When unchecked, market forces prioritize short-term efficiency over long-term development. That opens a deeper question: should we be checking those forces? Some are now calling for a new social contract, even proposing universal basic income. It’s more than a policy debate—it’s a philosophical reckoning. If the market no longer creates real ways for people to contribute, how long before the social fabric starts to tear?

Top CEOs Warn: AI to Trigger White-Collar Cuts: Senior executives from Ford, JPMorgan, and Amazon warn that AI could eliminate half of white-collar roles—particularly in finance, HR, and administration.

My Take: When CEOs from three major industries deliver the same message on the same stage, it’s not a coincidence—it’s choreography. I’ve been in those boardrooms. The cost-benefit analyses are done, and the shift is already underway. AI is targeting white-collar functions that once felt safe. The real leadership test now is not whether to cut—it’s whether to reinvest. Will companies use these gains to build new, meaningful roles that elevate human talent—or simply treat efficiency as the end goal and leave people behind?

The pursuit of happiness in the age of AI isn’t about avoiding displacement—it’s about designing new paths to meaning. As machines take over what we can do, we must get clearer about what we should do. That means redefining value, rethinking how we grow talent, and creating systems where humans and AI don’t compete—but elevate one another. Work isn’t just a paycheck—it’s a place we find purpose, dignity, and connection. If we lose that, we lose more than jobs. We lose ourselves.

Getting AI Right – The Choice Between Digital Independence and Digital Dependence

The most important question this July 4 isn’t what we’re independent from—but what we’re independent for. AI gives us the power to expand human agency—or to steadily outsource it. The systems we build today will either strengthen our ability to choose, think, and act—or quietly replace it with automated convenience. The direction isn’t inevitable—it’s a conscious choice.

Getting AI right means building systems that amplify human capability while preserving human agency. It means asking not just can we do something with AI—but should we? It means participating in the public dialogue about how data is used, how decisions are made, and who benefits.

Digital independence isn’t just about rejecting passive AI consumption—it’s about choosing to shape the future, not be shaped by it.

The nations, companies, and individuals that commit to that kind of intentionality—who treat AI not as a shortcut but as a tool for human advancement—will define the next era of innovation, leadership, and freedom.

Until next week,

 Alex G.

Alex Goryachev is the WSJ bestselling author of Fearless Innovation and helps organizations navigate AI transformation globally through keynote speaking and innovation workshops. He has launched AI and innovation programs across three continents and works with leaders on organization-wide workforce evolution.

To work with Alex, please get in touch or visit alexgoryachev.com.