"There is a coexistence of fear that AI will replace humans and hope that it will enrich humans. I thought about which direction we should take between the two."
On the 29th, at a Yonsei University lab in Mapo District, Seoul, we met Professor Mo Jong-rin, the "alleyway economist," who published the new book
Mo explained the history of technological innovation as a cycle of "centralization" and "personalization."
During the Industrial Revolution, mass production stripped away skill, but the Arts and Crafts movement restored craftsmanship. In the Information Revolution, centralized computers emerged, but hacker culture and the open-source movement revived individual agency.
According to Mo, the AI revolution is not merely a change in technology but a massive shift that shakes human creativity itself.
If the Industrial Revolution replaced labor and the Information Revolution replaced knowledge, AI substitutes for part of creation. Even so, Mo said there is a domain left for humans.
He said, "The AI revolution, too, will be followed by a human cultural response."
He emphasized that while AI replaces not only labor and knowledge but also part of creation, it cannot replace humans' unique "non-cognitive creativity (creativity that stems from life experience and existential reflection)."
"What AI recombines are learned patterns; the creation that comes from human senses and experience is different."
He sees creators as leading this "third response." The creator economy standing up to giant platforms, the decentralization movement based on Blockchain, and offline creative activities represented by independent bookstores, workshops, and cafes are examples.
He emphasized, "Creativity will become important in offline domains where AI access is difficult," and "those who create on-site through senses and experience will emerge as new agents."
"We may not recognize ourselves as creators, but business models that arise offline—such as starting a cafe or a workshop—are all based on creative ability. As Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said, in the AI era, plumbers and electricians with physical presence and on-site experience will be more in the spotlight."
Even so, Mo pointed out that Korean society still undervalues offline creativity. Starting a cafe or a workshop is not mere self-employment but a creative business, he said, and such activities should be recognized and supported.
His message was clear. In the AI age, the center is not technology but humans. Those who stand on-site, not behind a screen, and realize creativity through senses and experience are the true agents of the new era.
To reflect on the essence of humanity—that may be the starting point of the "third response" Mo spoke of.