The Last Human Job
Audio only

The Last Human Job

The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected WorldBy Allison J. PughNarrated by Allison J. Pugh
Length12h 20m

About this audiobook

In this audiobook, Allison Pugh makes a timely and urgent argument for preserving the work that connects us in the age of automation With the rapid development of artificial intelligence and labor-saving technologies like self-checkouts and automated factories, the future of work has never been more uncertain, and even jobs requiring high levels of human interaction are no longer safe. The Last Human Job explores the human connections that underlie our work, arguing that what people do for each other in these settings is valuable and worth preserving. Drawing on in-depth interviews and observations with people in a broad range of professions—from physicians, teachers, and coaches to chaplains, therapists, caregivers, and hairdressers—Allison Pugh develops the concept of "connective labor," a kind of work that relies on empathy, the spontaneity of human contact, and a mutual recognition of each other's humanity. The threats to connective labor are not only those posed by advances in AI or apps; Pugh demonstrates how profit-driven campaigns imposing industrial logic shrink the time for workers to connect, enforce new priorities of data and metrics, and introduce standardized practices that hinder our ability to truly see each other. She concludes with profiles of organizations where connective labor thrives, offering practical steps for building a social architecture that works. Vividly illustrating how connective labor enriches the lives of individuals and binds our communities together, The Last Human Job is a compelling argument for us to recognize, value, and protect humane work in an increasingly automated and disconnected world.

Audiobook details

GenrePsychology, Business and Economics
Length12 hrs 20 mins
Narrated byAllison J. Pugh
FormatAudiobook
Publish dateJun 4, 2024
LanguageEnglish

Table of contents

1Opening Anno
11Chapter 6 - Systems Come for Connective Labor
2Preface
12Chapter 6 - Continued
3Chapter 1 - Introduction - The Power of Seeing the Other
13Chapter 7 - Connecting across Difference - The Power and Peril of Inequality
4Chapter 2 - The Value of Connecting
14Chapter 7 - Continued
5Chapter 3 - The Automation Frontier
15Chapter 8 - Doing It Right - Building a Social Architecture That Works
Show all chapters
6Chapter 3 - Continued
16Chapter 8 - Continued
7Chapter 4 - How to be a Human - Connective Labor as Artisanal Practice
17Chapter 9 - Conclusion - Choosing Connection
8Chapter 4 - Continued
18Acknowledgements
9Chapter 5 - The Social Architecture of Connective Labor
19Appendix - "Maybe We're Going to Turn You into a Chaplain" - Studying Connection
10Chapter 5 - Continued
20Closing Anno

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