Mr. Sasse urges new habits for humanity in the age of AI
Updated
Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 8
Mr. Sasse urges new habits for humanity in the age of AI
4 articles · Updated · The Wall Street Journal · May 8
In a May 6 Manhattan Institute award speech adapted for WSJ Opinion, the former Nebraska senator warned AI-driven upheaval could trigger a vast US debate over universal basic income.
He said loneliness, collapsing trust and weaker communities demand family-led habits including reading, hard work, tech sabbaths and serious travel, rather than relying on Washington policy.
Sasse argued AI will bring both abundance and disruption, making character, relationships and local institutions more important as work is reshaped and Americans risk outsourcing attention and affections to algorithms.
Can four traditional family habits truly fortify our children against an AI-driven dystopian future?
As AI makes intelligence cheap, are physical assets like energy and farmland the new safe havens for investors?
The AI Dilemma: How Ben Sasse’s Terminal Diagnosis Shapes a Call for Intentional Human Flourishing
Overview
Facing a terminal cancer diagnosis, Ben Sasse urgently warns that while AI promises unprecedented abundance by automating work and eliminating scarcity, it also risks triggering a deep crisis of meaning for many Americans. This abundance, combined with a culture of instant gratification amplified by technology, threatens human purpose and agency. AI-driven systems create an attention economy that undermines self-control, while accelerating generational divides erode the transmission of wisdom and community bonds. Compounding these challenges, political short-termism hampers effective governance, risking unchecked societal fragmentation. Sasse’s message calls for intentional action to rebuild human resilience and connection, or face a future of material plenty paired with spiritual poverty and loss of liberty.