Ms. Ng, like many parents in Hong Kong, spends her weekends transporting her eight-year-old son between multiple tutoring sessions, aiming to bolster his academic performance. This approach to parenting, common across Chinese communities worldwide, focuses heavily on structured education and achievement. However, as artificial intelligence (AI) continues to advance, experts suggest that this traditional model may need to be reconsidered.

Industry authorities predict that AI will increasingly supplant many white-collar roles in fields such as finance, law, accounting, and computing. In contrast, jobs requiring physical presence and direct human interaction—such as plumbing, construction, and certain caregiving roles—remain largely resistant to automation. Psychologist David Geary’s framework helps explain this divide by distinguishing between biologically primary and secondary cognitive abilities. Primary abilities, including speaking, counting, and basic social understanding, develop naturally in children with minimal formal instruction. Secondary abilities—such as reading, writing, and formal mathematics—require extensive learning within specific cultural settings.

Adding to this, the concept of the "extended phenotype," introduced by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, frames culture and technology as extensions of human biology. While AI represents an advanced expression of this extended phenotype, capable of performing many cognitive secondary tasks, it cannot replicate the uniquely human attributes tied to physical presence and embodied interaction.

For example, while AI-generated models can draft legal documents, they cannot physically appear in court or respond dynamically to courtroom interactions. Likewise, AI can compose and perform music but lacks the charisma of live performers on stage. Medical AI can diagnose and even carry out surgical procedures, yet it cannot provide the human compassion inherent in patient interactions. Jobs necessitating direct physical presence—such as plumbing repairs or comforting a distressed child—are similarly irreplaceable by AI.

This principle extends to physical skills like athleticism, instrument playing, and any task involving body-based dexterity or social connection. In an AI-driven future, the ability to engage authentically with others in person will likely become a key determinant of success.

Some futurists, including Elon Musk, predict that AI and robotics will generate abundant goods and services, potentially rendering human labor unnecessary. Behavioral studies, such as John Calhoun’s “Universe 25” experiment with mice in an environment of total abundance, suggest that humans might shift focus toward self-maintenance and physical presentation in such scenarios.

Given these developments, experts argue that parenting paradigms—particularly within Chinese communities known for their authoritarian and achievement-driven style—may require adjustment. Such approaches often emphasize secondary cognitive skills like memorization and formula mastery, areas where AI excels. Moreover, authoritarian parenting has been shown to inhibit creativity, autonomy, and critical thinking, skills that will be essential in navigating a world where AI handles routine intellectual tasks.

In contrast, authoritative parenting styles more common in Western cultures, which encourage autonomy and foster creativity and critical thinking, may better prepare children for the AI era. Yet, Western approaches can sometimes lack sufficient structure, potentially hindering the development of resilience and discipline, especially in physical activities.

Experts suggest parenting should pivot toward cultivating primary abilities, emphasizing physical health, social skills, creative thinking, and critical reasoning. Such a focus would prepare children to thrive in an environment where AI manages secondary cognitive tasks, allowing humans to leverage uniquely embodied abilities and interpersonal connections. In this evolving landscape, investing time in tutoring centers to accumulate knowledge may yield less return than nurturing the holistic capacities that define the human experience.