Writing for Forbes, research affiliate Thomas Davenport examines the feasibility of robot taxation based on a debate at MIT Technology Review’s Emtech Next conference. “At some point we may need to replace the tax revenue from human jobs lost to automation,” writes Daveport. “If that day ever comes, I hope that the tax revenues issue is the most critical one we have to deal with.”
A study by MIT researchers examines the historical impact of technology on the labor market in an attempt to better understand the potential effect of AI systems, reports Adi Gaskell for Forbes. “The authors propose a number of solutions for improving data on the skills required in the workforce today, and from that the potential for AI to automate or augment those skills,” Gaskell explains.
Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Wired reporter Matt Simon about the potential impact of technology and automation on everything from jobs and the labor market to climate change. “Technology is an incredibly powerful tool,” says Brynjolfsson, “and if we make the effort, we can use this tool to live lighter on the planet.”
Axios reporter Steve LeVine highlights several new studies co-authored by Prof. Daron Acemoglu that examine the negative impacts of automation on the labor market. “So far, we've used our know-how singularly automating at the expense of labor,” says Acemoglu. “If we keep on doing that, we will keep on destroying more jobs without job gains. It's completely our decision."
While examining the impact of aging societies on growth, The Economist cites a new study co-authored by Prof. Daron Acemoglu, which shows that “when young workers are sufficiently scarce, manufacturers invest in more automation, and experience faster productivity growth as a result.”
The Economist spotlights the work of Prof. David Autor and the influence of his research examining how labor markets respond to disruption. The Economist notes that Autor’s research “is enormously influential, in large part because of his groundbreaking work on the effects on American workers of China’s extraordinary rise.”
In an article for the Financial Times, Ashley Nunes, a research affiliate at MIT, writes about the Ethiopian Airlines crash and examines the limits of automation. “The more automated the system, the more crucial the human operator becomes,” writes Nunes. “That’s because automation doesn’t purge demand for human labour, instead it changes the type of labour needed.”
Axios reporter Steve LeVine highlights how MIT is offering a new edX course focused on the future of work. The course will “track technological history going back to the 19th century, income inequality, labor groups, automation, German manufacturing and more,” LeVine explains.
John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, highlights Prof. David Autor’s research in a show on the impacts of automation.
Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee speaks with NBC's Stephanie Ruhle about the ways robots are changing work. “The hollowing out of the middle class has not yet been replaced by middle class 2.0,” says McAfee. “That should be our real homework going forward, not trying to demonize the automation or the technology.”
Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson speaks with Gizmodo reporter Brian Merchant about the 2018 AI Index report, which examines trends in the field of AI. Brynjolfsson says that when it comes to the impact of automation on the labor market, “developing countries are likely to be the hardest hit—they are the ones that depend most on low wages to compete in manufacturing.”
Writing for Forbes, research engineer Bryan Reimer examines how success can be measured as automated vehicles are introduced to our transportation system. “While automation may be the future,” writes Reimer, “the enabling technologies we are seeing today are pieces of a complex puzzle being assembled to build a picture of how automation will change the future of how we live and move.”
Prof. Julie Shah and Principal Research Scientist Andrew McAfee speak with Miles O’Brien of the PBS NewsHour about how robots can be used to augment human capabilities in the workplace. Shah explains that she is developing technology that enables robots to “integrate and work effectively with the person, so that they can accomplish the task together.”
Prof. David Autor speaks with Brendan Greeley, host of the Financial Times “Alphachat” podcast, about how trade and automation impact the economy and labor market. Autor emphasizes that the U.S. needs to “invest in people,” adding, “if you want to share the gains broadly...you need to find a way to bring people along.”
A Washington Post article by Prof. Erik Brynjolfsson and Research Affiliate Xiang Hui demonstrates how artificial intelligence is starting to have a positive impact on the U.S. economy by helping with such obstacles as lowering the language barrier to trade. Brynjolfsson and Hui explain that “human intelligence is needed to make sure it benefits the many, not just the few.”