Rethinking Productivity and the Future of Work in the Age of AI

I had the opportunity to sit down with Puneet Pushkarna, one of Magic Solmark’s investors. Our discussion moved beyond the surface‑level buzz of artificial intelligence to what the integration of AI really means for work, learning, and skills.

Will AI Make Work Shorter or Just Different?

AI can undeniably make us faster, but history suggests that faster work does not necessarily mean fewer hours overall. From the industrial revolution to the digital age, technology has often raised output expectations rather than lowered them. AI may be no different.

What Puneet surfaced here is a challenge for leaders. If AI allows more flexible schedules, will organizations embrace them, or will productivity gains simply reset the baseline for what is expected? For higher ed and workforce training, this means preparing learners not just for new tools, but for new models of work.

The Global Workforce Shift

The opportunity is clear: more people worldwide can participate in knowledge work. The risk is equally stark: those without access to reskilling may find themselves quickly left behind. For education providers and EdTech leaders, this raises a direct mandate to build learning pathways that are accessible, affordable, and aligned to the shifting demands of a global, AI‑enabled workforce.

The Enduring Value of Human Skills

Even as we explored the productivity puzzle and the redistribution of talent, Puneet circled back to something deeper: the skills that technology cannot replace.

           “AI can give you the answer, but it won’t tell you how to ask the right question in the first
          place. That’s still on us.”

This observation gets to the heart of education’s future. Tools like ChatGPT or Perplexity may generate outputs in seconds, but the real differentiator is human interpretation: knowing what to ask, how to interpret, and when to challenge.

It is here that critical thinking, adaptability, and collaboration rise to the top. These are not just “soft skills”; they are survival skills in an environment where facts are abundant but judgment is scarce. For educators, the implication is that teaching students how to question, synthesize, and co‑create is far more valuable than teaching them to memorize.

Leading Through the Unknown

The real leadership task is not about predicting the next tool. It is about shaping cultures of resilience and curiosity. In practice, that means encouraging experimentation, rewarding thoughtful risk‑taking, and giving both employees and students the psychological safety to learn in public.

The future of productivity will not be just shorter workweeks or working faster. AI will force us to re‑examine work structures, expand access to opportunity, and prioritize the human skills that no algorithm can replicate.

Filmed live at Chelsea Market, NYC. Part of the “EdTech on the Street – Real Talk in the City That Never Sleeps” video series by Magic EdTech.