Futureproof:
9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation
A counter-intuitive guide to staying relevant - and employable - in the machine age by becoming irreplaceably human
DIFFICULTY
beginner
PAGES
256
READ TIME
≈ 360 mins
DIFFICULTY
beginner
PAGES
256
READ TIME
≈ 360 mins
About Futureproof
In the age of AI, the safest work is the most human—surprising, social, and scarce.
Drawing on on-the-ground reporting, Kevin Roose offers nine rules for ‘futureproofing’. He explores tactics and strategies for surviving in an automated world: refuse roles that make you an endpoint for algorithms; redesign your job around judgement, empathy, and original taste; cultivate creativity and relationship-building; demote your devices to reclaim attention; treat AI as a powerful but narrow apprentice; and resist the cult of optimisation when it hollows out meaning.
Roose widens the lens beyond careers, urging readers to build communities, norms, and policies that share automation’s gains. The result is a brisk, story-led guide to staying valuable and sane amid acceleration.
Useful whether you’re an engineer or an educator - these choices determine not only your resilience, but the kind of future of work we all inhabit.
What You'll Learn
- Spot which tasks are most automatable vs. resilient
- Recraft your role to emphasize judgment, empathy, and creativity
- Boundaries to limit algorithmic manipulation and distraction
- Integrate AI as a supervised tool, not an authority
- Building supportive networks and advocate people-first tech norms
- An ethical lens for automation’s trade-offs.
Key Takeaways
- Double down on human-only skills
- Resist algorithmic machine drift
- Leave distinctive human handprints
- Treat AI as a tool, not your boss
- Build resilient, people-first careers
