Workers in advanced economies have long been stuck at a five-day week, with productivity improvements rarely leading to more free time. Yet if AI turns out to be as transformational as many seem to think, the threat that it poses to human labor could be a blessing in disguise.
BOSTON – During the first weeks of Donald Trump’s second administration, the United States is being turned into a (take your pick) broligarchy, kakistocracy (government by the least qualified), crony-capitalist state, or fascist regime. This makes prediction more difficult, including about the future of work. And concerns about artificial intelligence have become more pressing than they were just six months ago, owing to the technology’s power to enable surveillance, disinformation, discrimination, and repression. Given these risks, the labor-market implications seem less salient.
BOSTON – During the first weeks of Donald Trump’s second administration, the United States is being turned into a (take your pick) broligarchy, kakistocracy (government by the least qualified), crony-capitalist state, or fascist regime. This makes prediction more difficult, including about the future of work. And concerns about artificial intelligence have become more pressing than they were just six months ago, owing to the technology’s power to enable surveillance, disinformation, discrimination, and repression. Given these risks, the labor-market implications seem less salient.