AI could give us our lives back – if we don’t blow it

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The other day I pulled into the parking lot of a client’s offices and in the spot next to me was a woman sitting in her car blasting music.She caught me looking and rolled down her window and said, “I’ll be inside in a minute … Just enjoying my last few moments of freedom!”Is this way we want to live? No, it’s not.Elon Musk recently predicted work will be optional.“It’ll be like playing sports or a video game or something like that,” he said.Sounds nice.

We may well be at the beginning of a change never before seen by humans, mainly because it will be so fast.In just a few short years, it’s clear that AI will be replacing millions, maybe hundreds of millions, of jobs.According to Musk, “Anything digital, anyone sitting at a computer producing files, that’s what goes first.”People are terrified about losing their jobs.But should we be?Let’s assume that AI does have the effect that some like Musk are predicting.

Millions of jobs are replaced by agents,Countless office workers are upended by bots placing orders, reconciling accounts, sending out emails, replying to messages, applying cash receipts, writing proposals, creating invoices and doing all the other things that office workers have been doing for more than century,Let’s also assume that Musk’s other prediction comes true: because of the abundance created by AI, there will be some type of universal income,According to Musk, and others, companies will be so productive and so profitable, governments will simply tax a greater share of corporate earnings and then redistribute those taxes back to the people,Putting aside the very real human ability to screw up such a concept and turn any fair system into an unfair one, the assumption is that most people will have enough income to afford both necessities and luxuries without having to work.

Let me repeat: without having to work.No getting up early and commuting on public transit.No sitting in front of a monitor for 10 hours a day or dealing with co-workers or being scrutinized by your boss.No uncomfortable clothing, pointless meetings, Teams calls, performance evaluations.No office politics, fluorescent lighting, loss of privacy, noisy co-workers, “reply all” emails, stinky refrigerators and smelly toilets.

No more “great resignation”, “barely minimum Mondays”, “coffee badging” or “quiet quitting”.Isn’t this what we want? Look at any movie or TV show where people are going to work – Severance, The Office, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Apartment, Joe Versus the Volcano, The Devil Wears Prada.Are workers portrayed as happy or miserable? Satisfied or stressed? Or are they shown as miserable, bored, feckless robots punching in and punching out in order to receive their meager paycheck in order to enjoy their aimless, fruitless, miserable lives?The human species was never created to work in an office.Ask anyone who’s retired if they wish they were back at work and most would look at you like you’re crazy.People on their deathbeds never say they regret not spending more time at work.

We like to read, play, watch TV, nap, hunt, ski, be with our families.It’s not natural to replace these very human activities with sitting in a cubicle reading reports all day.For those who think that the meaning of life is being in an office, I’m sure that, even in a world of AI, this can be accommodated.We humans are great at filling up the hours until we die.In 1913, the original IRS tax code was 400 pages.

Today it’s more than 75,000.We are always making work for ourselves.But maybe AI will change the way we perceive of our lives.Maybe when technology is doing all of the crap things humans do, those same humans can step back and find other purposes in their existence.Instead of being afraid of the future, maybe it makes more sense to embrace it.

Thanks to AI, humans may finally get the chance to let the machines relieve of us all the mindless, stupid, inane things we’ve been doing in our office.We just have to hope that humans don’t blow the opportunity.
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Mother’s Day UK recipes: three delicious ideas to make for your mum from Ravinder Bhogal

Few things say “I love you” more than an unbidden cup of tea, but if you want to show true appreciation to the maternal figure in your life this Mother’s Day, there’s nothing better than a few indulgent snacks to go with it. I love the British tradition of afternoon tea, but I find finger sandwiches in hotel lobbies a little too fussy. I would much rather a fortifying savoury sandwich, a slab of good, old-fashioned cake and buttery biscuits that crumble into a million sweet crumbs.This very simple cake can be baked in a regular cake tin, but cooking it in a bundt tin makes it much more of a showstopper. If you want to forgo the icing, serve with a dollop of creme fraiche and berries instead

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Benjamina Ebuehi’s recipe for caramelised white chocolate and rhubarb cheesecake | The sweet spot

It’s often my own impatience that forces me to make no-bake cheesecakes over baked ones. They’re not at all as faffy, though it’s pretty hard to beat the lighter, silkier texture you get with a baked version plus the extra effort is worth it on a special occasion such as Mother’s Day. I’ve sweetened the filling for this one with caramelised white chocolate – it brings a beautiful, creamy, dulce de leche-type caramel flavour that even the biggest white chocolate haters should enjoy. If making your own caramelised white chocolate feels a step too far, however, just buy bars of blond chocolate instead. Top with gently poached rhubarb for a pop of colour and to cut through the richness

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Noma chef resigns amid allegations of physical abuse of staff

René Redzepi, the head chef and co-founder of Noma, has announced his resignation from his internationally acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant following allegations he physically abused his staff.Redzepi had been facing protests in Los Angeles before a four-month pop-up that launched this week. His resignation on Wednesday comes after the New York Times detailed allegations of physical and psychological abuse, including claims that he “punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls”.He wrote in an Instagram story: “I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter.”Redzepi said the recent weeks had “brought attention and important conversations about our restaurant, industry and my past leadership”, writing: “I have worked to be a better leader and Noma has taken big steps to transform the culture over many years

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Light red wines for spring drinking

Can wine ever be good for you? The question has surely occurred to most of us after a night on the chȃteau de migraine, especially if we’ve read the increasingly dire warnings on alcohol consumption. Still, as with chocolate, a lot depends on what type of alcohol you drink. After all, a 90% cocoa solids situation is probably going to do less harm than, say, a family tub of Celebrations, and, while all alcohol is, I hate to break it to you, alcohol, there are definitely better choices you can make.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link

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Rachel Roddy’s recipe for risotto in bianco | A kitchen in Rome

Parmigiano reggiano, grana padano, lodigiano, trentingrana and the other members of the grana-type cheese family (there are many, and all are worth seeking out) are far from cheap. Which is why it is important to use every last bit, including the rind with the last few millimetres of cheese still attached. That functions as a sort of highly flavoured and fatty stock cube that can be added to soups and stews. The best place to keep your precious rinds is in a plastic bag or airtight container in the freezer, which also preserves flavour and stops them drying out, until they’re pulled out and added directly to whatever needs a boost, or to make one of the nicest, most delicately flavoured and cheesy broths, which in turn makes a lovely risotto.I have written about risotto many times here, with each version a new favourite, and providing lessons in a dish that, regardless of how much I learn and practise, I am always chasing: the right proportions of rice to broth, as well as a pleasing consistency and texture

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‘Highly problematic behavior’: Noma residency in LA starts with PR crisis

It was always going to be an indulgence for René Redzepi, the Danish-Albanian chef of Noma fame, to bring his exacting, innovative vision of haute cuisine to Los Angeles and spend several weeks tickling the palates of well-heeled diners at a hilltop estate once dubbed “the most beautiful home in Hollywood”.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The timing has certainly been unfortunate, since the US is now fighting a destabilizing war in the Middle East and food prices are climbing so steeply that many ordinary Americans can no longer afford to eat at McDonald’s, much less contemplate the counterintuitive delights of tacinga cactus, bougainvillea petals, mealworms and giant tuna eyes