Children need three things to thrive in the AI era, says famed futurist Peter Diamandis.
The serial entrepreneur and author of the newly published “We Are As Gods: A Survival Guide for the Age of Abundance” told Business Insider the skills and traits he’s trying to instill in his twin teenage sons.
The founder of the XPRIZE Foundation and host of the “Moonshots with Peter Diamandis” podcast urged parents to help their children find their “massive transformative purpose” in life.
Diamandis said he felt “lucky” to have pinpointed space as his purpose at a young age, and was “thankful” to the Apollo 11 Moon landing and original “Star Trek” series for “igniting that fuse.”
Finding his purpose meant he felt motivated to “learn for myself, not for my parents, not for my teachers,” he said.
If you’re a child today, Diamandis said, you can use AI to explore whatever you like. But you’ll either do “surface learning” for school, or you’re “going to go deep” because you “love it in your heart and soul.”
Diamandis said the second “critically important” trait for the next generation is curiosity, as curious children will want to “learn the tools,” and take advantage of AI providing boundless learning about any subject with the “most patient teacher.”
Third, Diamandis said the “greatest thing” for kids to focus on in the years ahead is their “mindset” and how to shape it.
He listed prominent figures, including his longtime friend Elon Musk, Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, social activist Mahatma Gandhi, and civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.
What made those individuals successful, Diamandis said, wasn’t “their money, their technology, their friends” but their mindset.
“If you took away everything from them and kept their mindset, they would be as successful,” he added.
Diamandis said he teaches not only a curious, purpose-driven mindset but also “an abundance mindset, an exponential mindset, a moonshot mindset, and a longevity mindset.”
There’s widespread concern about how future generations of workers will fare as advances in AI and robotics threaten to eliminate large numbers of jobs.
Diamandis is one of several successful people to share their advice for young people with Business Insider.
Billionaire investor Leon Cooperman said, “Love what you do — it’s too demanding and difficult not to.”
Wall Street legend Burton Malkiel said to “be flexible and realize that you could very well change your mind.”
Tech investor Ross Gerber said that kids need to pay attention in class, build social networks at school, and learn from their parents and peers, as many are growing up with no skills “other than playing Roblox,” and expect work to be a “four-hour-a-day job” they can do from home.
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