Swiss bestselling author Martin Suter has dismissed a recent call by German politician Friedrich Merz for Germans to work longer hours as “nonsense”. In an interview with “Der Spiegel”, Suter questioned the viability of boosting economic performance through increased labor, describing the suggestion as lacking innovation. He emphasized the importance of ensuring sufficient employment opportunities for all, ideally jobs that are engaging and fulfilling.
Suter highlighted a looming trend of job displacement due to the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence. He argued that diligence and hard work are progressively losing value, as AI is rapidly automating routine tasks previously requiring significant effort. He specifically cited examples such as legal professionals analyzing precedents and medical professionals reviewing reports, areas where AI is demonstrating superior efficiency.
The author criticized Merz’s proposal as stemming from a flawed premise. He posited a scenario where increased productivity-achieved through intensified work-would ultimately reduce the necessary working hours. “The more diligently people work, the fewer days they need to work” Suter explained. “If they are truly diligent, they can complete their work in three days. But what will they do on the other four days?
Reflecting on his own work ethic, Suter admitted to considering himself inherently predisposed to idleness. He confessed that if asked whether he wrote out of necessity, he would respond negatively, suggesting a strong possibility of choosing not to write. Nevertheless, he acknowledged the difficulty he would face in discontinuing the practice.
Finally, Suter expressed a surprisingly positive outlook regarding the potential for AI to generate works inspired by his own writing. He foresees the emergence of AI models trained on his entire literary catalog, capable of producing new content. He found the prospect amusing, noting that he would be uniquely positioned to know the origin of such works.
