WorkLab

The Meaning of Work

AI, purpose, and a whole new way of working

Jared Spataro


Corporate Vice President, Modern Work & Business Applications

When we are young, people ask us what we want to be when we grow up. We answer with things that excite us, and that reflect the value we seek to bring to the world. Because even at a young age, we know that work is meant to be more than just a job. Nurses are called to care for people. Scientists seek to discover. Artists want to create. 

At its best, work not only feeds our families, it feeds our souls. But today, reality often falls short of that promise: we spend too much time consumed by drudgery, on tasks that zap our time, creativity, and energy. It can feel like we’re beholden to the very tools that should make us more productive. Nurses don’t go into nursing to spend more time with paperwork than with patients, after all. We’ve become separated from the soul of our work, separated from the thing that inspired us in the first place.  

We are meant for so much more. 

We don’t just need a better way of doing the same things. We need a whole new way of working.   

Now, next-generation AI will unlock a new wave of productivity growth and bring joy back to work for everyone.  

What will it look like? We have some thoughts, which you can explore in our Forecast. It’s a whole new era—and it has only just begun.