Artificial intelligence will save us time. The real question is what we do with it

In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes gave his famous lecture, economic potential for our grandchildren, He predicted that within a century, technological progress would meet humanity’s basic needs. Freed from want, he believed that our challenge was how to spend as much leisure time. Keynes wrote: “For the first time since his creation, man will face his true and permanent problem: how to use his freedom from pressing economic concerns, and how to occupy leisure time… in order to live wisely, contentedly, and in good health.”

It didn’t turn out that way. Millions are still far from being freed from economic pressures, and few of us feel burdened by excess free time. Our problem today is not so much free time, but how to make the most of what little we have.

As our tools become more efficient, so does our sense of… Time famine – The feeling that there is not enough time – has intensified. It is one of the biggest obstacles to living “wisely and well.”

Now, with artificial intelligence, we face an unprecedented opportunity: to redefine our relationship with time. Whether we use this technology to regain our working hours or lose more of them may be the defining question of the AI ​​revolution. As the compelling global fascination with the just-released Sora movie shows, it’s not at all clear which way we’ll go.

“Time is the most valuable resource we have — but we don’t live as if it is,” says Ryan Alshak, founder and CEO of Laurel, which uses artificial intelligence to help organizations track, analyze, and optimize their time. “We have tools, advisors, and software to help us manage every dollar we spend, yet we don’t value our time in the same way.”

Of course, there’s no shortage of advice online about making the most of every minute — endless life hacks, time tracking, and morning routines. But these things often take up more of our attention than they free up. A fully optimized life, with no inbox at 4 a.m., may be productive, but is it fulfilling?

Lessons from my mother

I learned the true value of time not from economists but from my mother. She lived with the rhythm of an immortal world—the rhythm of a child. While I always felt like it came later than I thought, she was never in a hurry. She believed that rushing through life only blinds us to the gifts that come from giving our full attention to a task, a conversation, a relationship, or a moment.

The last time she got mad at me before she died was when she saw me reading my email and talking to my kids at the same time. I have never forgotten this lesson. When she died, I put a bench in her garden that said: “Don’t miss this moment.”

pathogen for 30 minutes

When we are deeply present, time seems to expand, which is what psychologists call it Time richness. However, much of our technology is designed to do the opposite. As the founding president of Facebook Sean Parker admitted“The thought process that went into creating these apps…was about: ‘How do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible?’”

Social media doesn’t just steal our time; It distorts our perception of it. Studies show that we are We underestimate How long have we been scrolling – hence it “Sickness factor for 30 minutes” That moment of regret when we realize that half an hour has disappeared. It’s not just a waste of time. It is loss of consciousness.

Technology is increasingly fragmenting our attention into smaller and smaller units, making us less consistent in our lives. research It shows Constantly switching between tasks causes us to underestimate how long things take, and feeling rushed impairs cognition, increases stress, and even increases the risk of high blood pressure. In short, our worry about time is costing us our health.

Will we repeat our old mistakes, or will we finally treat time as the precious and finite currency, preventing a 30-minute damage factor from becoming a 30-year damage factor?

More productivity, less time

In his 1934 book technology and civilization, Historian Lewis Mumford wrote that “the clock, not the steam engine, is the chief machine of the modern industrial age.” The clock synchronizes humanity, but also enslaves it, he said.

Nearly a century later, this pattern persists. As technology advances, our time seems to become more scarce. It’s actually a productivity paradox: the more we improve, the less expansive life becomes. Surveys show that 60% of people believe there are simply not enough hours in the day. Gallup states that stress has been rising for a decade, describing modern life as “inevitable and, at times, stifling.”

Finally, AI can fulfill the promise that technology once offered: to ease our burden, not confuse us.

Cronos and Kairos

The ancient Greeks saw time in two dimensions: chronos, the measurable minutes and hours that govern modern life; and Kairos, Transcendent moments when purpose and presence align.

At funerals we celebrate Kairos, no Cronos. The eulogy does not pay tribute to the number of emails that were responded to. They honor how we loved, laughed and lived.

Memento mori

For thousands of years, humans have tried to achieve peace with one final constraint: death. “Memento Mori” – remembering death – was not a dire warning but a sign of its presence.

Lydia Son, a pastor who interviewed congregants in their 90s, found that “their joys and regrets had nothing to do with their careers, but with their parents, children, spouses, and friends.” When asked if he wished he had accomplished more, one man replied, “No, I wish I had loved more.”

Megan Chen, a psychologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, has found similar results. Toward the end of life, people’s regrets were not about productivity, but about relationships—what they didn’t say or share.

Every yes is a no to something else. But clarity about the value of time doesn’t require a latter-day perspective — just the courage to step out of work long enough to figure out what matters.

Artificial intelligence and the promise of time

Artificial intelligence may help realize Keynes’ vision, if we use it intentionally. Studies show that it actually saves us between three and five hours a week. However, 83% of those who gained time said they wasted at least a quarter of it.

“The opportunity then is not only to give back time, but also to direct how it is spent,” says Alshak. “Using technology not only to speed up our work, but to improve our lives.”

If we live to be 80, we get approximately 30,000 days. The question AI forces us to ask is how we will spend it. Will we repeat our old mistakes, or will we treat time as a precious and limited currency?

If used well, AI can turn time famine into time richness, freeing us to build the world Kairos The moments that make life worth living. This may be the most humane innovation ever.