Artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation technologies are fulfilling (and surpassing) predictions from the most creative science fiction. While the possibilities are exciting, these changes force us to ask what this means for the future of work. What jobs will they replace? Which industries will they decimate? What impact will they have on how we live and work in what many are calling a post-industrial age?

Martin Ford explores these questions and more, in his bestselling book, Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future. Named 2015 Business Book of the Year by the Financial Times and McKinsey, his book is helping to drive a much-needed conversation around the dark side of innovative technologies. As a software company founder who has worked in the industry for over 30 years, Martin saw how automation was eliminating more and more jobs. This led him to research the impact of cutting-edge technologies on labor, wages, and productivity.

In this episode you will learn:

why this time is different when it comes to the impact of automation on jobs
the important role education will play in how we respond and adapt
why we need to rethink income and healthcare policies to ensure a healthy economy
the pressing need to raise awareness around this issue and to incentivize solutions

Episode Links

@MFordFuture

Luddite

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Triple Revolution

Machine learning

Deep Learning

Artificial intelligence

The Three Breakthroughs That Have Finally Unleashed Artificial Intelligence on the World by Kevin Kelly

Everlaw

Long tail distribution

Ray Kurzweil

Basic or guaranteed income

Single-payer healthcare

CM 020: Martin Ford on Artificial Intelligence, Automation and the Future of Work

Curious Minds at Work