Reimagine Work

Superagency
By Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato
Authors Equity, 288 pp., $32

The authors present a provocative exploration of how work, innovation, and human agency are evolving in the age of artificial intelligence. In a world where it's increasingly difficult to discern whether a piece of writing comes from AI algorithms or a human hand, Superagency challenges us to rethink the nature of creativity and productivity.

The text implies that the debate over AI's morality isn't simply a binary of right or wrong. Instead, Hoffman and Beato group people into categories—pessimists are Doomers or Gloomers, while the optimistic Zoomers and Bloomers see tremendous opportunity ahead.

The authors argue that AI's emergence is a matter of when, not if, it will become an integral part of everyday life. Resistance to change is futile, and the key to AI integration lies in how people adapt.

At the heart of the discussion is human agency—the capacity of individuals to make choices, act independently, and influence their own lives. Hoffman and Beato write that the real uncertainty of AI that all people struggle with lies in its impact: Will it erode our skills and diminish our worth, or will it open new avenues for innovation and creativity?

To answer that question, the book offers three key ideas:

• Humans will always create new technologies if they can.

• It is impossible to predict the finish line.

• We must believe that new technologies will enable the majority of people "to exercise our agency in novel and increasingly productive ways."

Using AI leads to an immediate difference in how employees approach work, solve problems, or generate ideas. The transformative power of such tools is palpable, and it challenges individuals to reimagine how to develop talents and skills.

As someone relatively new to AI, I am optimistic about its wider use. Superagency puts the onus on humans to adapt to AI, noting, "If the long-term goal is to integrate AI safely and productively into society instead of simply prohibiting it, then citizens must play an active and substantive role in legitimizing AI." That call to engagement is not just about embracing technology but also shaping it so that it enhances collective human potential.