Q93　What Is Happiness in the AI Era?

The Short Answer

True happiness in the AI era is holding hope for the future—and being able to create that future yourself.

Unpacking the Question

In the AI era, what is happiness?
More convenience.
More efficiency.
More time to spare.
Of course, each of these is a form of happiness.
AI will make our lives more convenient and lighten the burden of our work.
But becoming more convenient is not the purpose of life.
Is true happiness not being able to hold hope for the future?
Looking forward to tomorrow.
Being of use to someone.
Growing beyond who you were yesterday.
And believing that your own hands can make the future even a little better.
It is these things, truly felt, that make people happy.
In Future Value Theory, we hold that creating future value leads to people's happiness.
Future value means bringing into being a better future that does not yet exist.
In that challenge, there is hope.
There is growth.
And there is connection with other people.
AI becomes a force for realizing the future.
But the one who decides what future to aim for is the human being.
That is why what matters most in the AI era is the will to believe in the future and to create it.
Happiness is not something we are handed.
In the process of creating the future, it is nurtured, little by little.

Implications for Management

In the AI era, the value a company should provide is not mere convenience.
What matters is that people can hold hope for the future, feel their own growth, and sense that they can create a better future.
A company becomes an entity that offers not only products and services, but possibilities for the future.

How Would You Answer?

For you, what is happiness?
And that happiness— what future would you need to create to make it real?