Work, Wellbeing, and Choice: Evidence for AI Futures

Summary

This paper reviews psychological, sociological, and economic research on how paid work relates to human wellbeing, asking what the evidence can contribute to debates about AI-driven automation. It considers people who are unemployed, retired, financially dependent, or unexpectedly wealthy after winning a lottery, drawing on studies from OECD countries, China, India, and Gulf states. The review emphasizes that paid work can both support and undermine wellbeing, so the effects of having less or no work cannot be reduced to income or employment status alone. It identifies three factors that shape outcomes: agency and choice, including whether leaving work is voluntary and whether people retain long-term control over their lives; access to alternative sources of work’s non-financial benefits, such as volunteering, hobbies, or state-provided employment; and the wider social and systemic context, including cultural expectations about work and the strength of social safety nets. The authors use these factors to connect existing evidence with different possible AI automation scenarios. They derive policy considerations for a future in which paid employment may be less necessary or less available, while presenting the review as empirical grounding rather than a prediction of a single AI future.