127. Connective Labor - What Machines Can't Replace in Our Disconnected World: Prof. Allison Pugh (Author of "The Last Human Job" | Prof. of Sociology @ Johns Hopkins University)

Send us a text As we enter a world of artificial intelligence, the question of what should be automated looms before us. Models need clear, objective metrics to train on. But, can jobs really be distilled to data points?  In her book, The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World, Prof. Allison Pugh asserts many jobs have a relational component that can’t be caught in the metrics. In this episode, Prof. Pugh warns that devaluing connective labor leads to automation that overlooks the core issues and leaves us more isolated. Topics:Connective LaborUndervaluation of Connective LaborAutomation of Connective LaborRole of Data in EducationEducational Inequality and Standardized TestingArtificial Intelligence and RelationshipsGrowing Demand for Connection"What books have had an impact on you?""What advice do you have for teenagers? Bio: Allison Pugh is a Research Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, and the author of four books, most recently The Last Human Job: The Work of Connecting in a Disconnected World (Princeton 2024). The 2024-5 Vice President of the American Sociological Association, Pugh was faculty at the University of Virginia for 17 years before moving to Hopkins this summer. She is a former journalist, and her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The New Republic, and other outlets. She served as a US diplomat in Honduras, cofounded a charter school in Oakland, waited on tables at the US Tennis Open, packed salmon roe in Alaska, and was an intern at Ms. Magazine.   Socials - Lessons from Interesting People substack: https://taylorbledsoe.substack.com/ Website: https://www.aimingforthemoon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiming4moon/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aiming4Moon