The Future of Work: Robots, AI, and Automation - Hardcover

West, Darrell M.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0815732937 ISBN 13: 9780815732938

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press, 2018

Synopsis

Looking for ways to handle the transition to a digital economy

Robots, artificial intelligence, and driverless cars are no longer things of the distant future. They are with us today and will become increasingly common in coming years, along with virtual reality and digital personal assistants.

As these tools advance deeper into everyday use, they raise the question―how will they transform society, the economy, and politics? If companies need fewer workers due to automation and robotics, what happens to those who once held those jobs and don't have the skills for new jobs? And since many social benefits are delivered through jobs, how are people outside the workforce for a lengthy period of time going to earn a living and get health care and social benefits?

Looking past today's headlines, political scientist and cultural observer Darrell M. West argues that society needs to rethink the concept of jobs, reconfigure the social contract, move toward a system of lifetime learning, and develop a new kind of politics that can deal with economic dislocations. With the U.S. governance system in shambles because of political polarization and hyper-partisanship, dealing creatively with the transition to a fully digital economy will vex political leaders and complicate the adoption of remedies that could ease the transition pain. It is imperative that we make major adjustments in how we think about work and the social contract in order to prevent society from spiraling out of control.

This book presents a number of proposals to help people deal with the transition from an industrial to a digital economy. We must broaden the concept of employment to include volunteering and parenting and pay greater attention to the opportunities for leisure time. New forms of identity will be possible when the "job" no longer defines people's sense of personal meaning, and they engage in a broader range of activities. Workers will need help throughout their lifetimes to acquire new skills and develop new job capabilities. Political reforms will be necessary to reduce polarization and restore civility so there can be open and healthy debate about where responsibility lies for economic well-being.

This book is an important contribution to a discussion about tomorrow―one that needs to take place today.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

The digital economy is here

Robots, artificial intelligence, and driverless cars are no longer the stuff of futuristic visions. They are with us today and will become increasingly common in coming years, along with virtual reality and digital personal assistants.

As these tools advance deeper into everyday use, they raise fundamental questions: how will they transform society, the economy, and politics? If companies need fewer workers because of automation and robotics, what happens to those who once held those jobs? Many social benefits are delivered through jobs, so how are people without full-time employment going to manage?

Looking past today’s headlines, political scientist and cultural observer Darrell M. West argues that society needs to rethink the concept of jobs, reconfigure the social contract, move toward a system of lifetime learning, and develop a new kind of politics for an era of economic dislocation. With the U.S. governance system in shambles because of political polarization and hyper-partisanship, dealing creatively with the transition to a fully digital economy will vex political leaders and complicate the adoption of remedies that could ease the transition pain.

This book presents a number of proposals to help all of us adapt and flourish as our industrial economy inevitably becomes a digital one. This ranges from creating new forms of job identity to encouraging lifelong learning, from emphasizing leisure activities in the arts, music, and culture to overhauling the social contract and making fundamental political reforms. It is vital to address these issues in order to avoid widespread economic and political disruption.

About the Author

Darrell M. West is vice president of the Governance Studies program at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of Megachange: Economic Disruption, Political Upheaval, and Social Strife in the 21st Century and Billionaires: Reflections on the Upper Crust.

Edition details

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0815732937
• ISBN 13: 9780815732938
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 219