What Should My Children Do? Daniel Susskind on How to Flourish in the Age of AI

'Daniel Susskind writes with verve, style and conviction about one of the most important issues of our age' Rory Stewart

What should the next generation learn—and what should they stop worrying about—in a world transformed by artificial intelligence? AI is rewriting the rules in the classroom, the job market, and the workplace, leaving parents, teachers, students, and all types of workers unsure about how best to prepare for what lies ahead. In What Should My Children Do?, globally renowned economist Daniel Susskind cuts through the outdated advice to show us what young people actually need to succeed now.

We should not ban tools or discourage new skills that are in demand, Susskind argues – or cling to inherited ways of working. Instead, he reveals how people can master new technologies without eroding other essential skills. From reorganizing the curriculum to re-imagining white-collar careers, Susskind maps a smarter, more productive path forward.

This requires a fundamental mindset shift: we must embrace the extraordinary opportunities that AI brings—from personal tutors to scientific breakthroughs—rather than retreat from them. Drawing on fifteen years of research, this book is an evidence-based and practical guide to one of the most urgent questions of our time.

Daniel Susskind is the author of Growth: A Reckoning, A World Without Work, and co-author of The Future of the Professions. He worked in the British Government – in the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit, the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and the Cabinet Office. He is the Mercers' School Memorial Professor of Business at Gresham College. He is a Research Professor at King's College London, a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University, and a Digital Fellow at the Stanford Digital Economy Lab.